2008 Ranchero Cellars Carignane Old Vines - USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino County (7/27/2014)
– cracked and poured –
– tasted non-blind over a few hours –
NOSE: ripe; grape; hint of sweet stewed tomato; oak; black cherry Twizzlers licorice.
BODY: dark violet color of medium-deep to deep depth; slight brick hue; medium-full bodied.
TASTE: dark purple fruits; leather and horse stable(brett); a touch smoky; gentle dryness on gums; 14.9% alc. is well-hidden. I enjoyed this, but there’s a lot of brett in here, even for me. Drink over the next couple years.
Posted from CellarTracker
Don’t think I’ve tasted this 2008 release but I tried the 2010 Ranchero Carignan this spring - I liked it quite a bit:
Ranchero 2010 Carignan, Colombini Vineyard, Mendocino County. From 90-year old head-trained vines in Redwood Valley, made with 100% whole clusters. Vibrant medium purple color, featuring earthy and gamy aromas upfront, with red fruits and floral undertones. Medium-bodied with fine acidity and a chewy tannic finish – very tasty now but could use more bottle age to mellow the tannins.
Not surprisingly, Ranchero’s Amy Butler has been looking at Carignan sources closer to her Paso Robles base, and she’s been working with a vineyard in Paso the past few years. She told me the 2012 Carignan would be a blend of the two vineyards but I believe she’ll be going solely with the Paso fruit now.
Ranchero has been flying under the radar but they’re well worth checking out.
Hi Ken,
Thank you for your comments; I had no idea Amy was moving towards Paso fruit for her Carignan — do you happen to know who’s vineyard she is sourcing from?
It’s been a few years since I’ve done a weekend in Paso — I should make an attempt to get up there sometime this fall to see what’s happening.
Brian, I just checked my notes and either she didn’t mention the vineyard or I neglected to write it down - sorry.
No worries, Ken. Thank you for checking! ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers")