In 2004, our newest Vintner Partner, Red Car, purchased 125 acres of land and began developing vineyards in the wild coastal ridges north of Sonoma County’s Bodega Bay, a region now known as the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA. Here, the interplay of warm sunshine, cool Pacific breezes and sandstone soils yield the age-worthy wines of structure and complexity that has captured the imagination of wine lovers.
Red Car has been a staple on our wine list for my 11 years at the Club and I am very excited to finally welcome them into our Vintner Family. Besides farming their Estate Property, Red Car has developed some outstanding long-term relationships with some of the best vineyards in the Russian River Valley, Sonoma Coast, and Anderson Valley appellations.
Leading the way are proprietors Richard and Alison Crowell, winemaker Tanner Scheer, and a team of seasoned wine professionals. Red Car is dedicated to sustainable farming practices, which allows their wines to speak directly from the soil and maritime climate resulting in wines with great structure, balance, and acidity.
We would like to welcome Red Car to the family with a wine offer including some of their staple wines and a few new releases, which in my eyes will become huge Club favorites:
The Wines
2018 Rosé of Pinot Noir...offered in both 750ml and magnum
The 2018 Rosé of Pinot Noir was crafted in true vin gris style, fermented like a white wine without skin or seed contact. This enticingly aromatic wine is bone dry and delicate in structure, with racy acidity, showing ruby red grapefruit, lychee, strawberry, tangerine, blossoms.
Grapes for the 2018 vintage come from The Manchester Ridge Vineyard and Mariah Vineyard from the Mendocino Ridge appellation that sits at about 2000 feet elevation, situated extremely close to the vast Pacific Ocean and offering us unparalleled acidity. The vineyards from the Sonoma Coast appellation are all located within eight miles of the coastline, set in the rolling hills of the West Sonoma Coast. Fruit from these vineyards perfectly complements those from Mendocino, offering ideal conditions to achieve the crisp, lively style of Rosé.
2016 The Pearl: Marsanne/Roussanne blend
The Pearl is a Marsanne (90%) and Roussanne (10%) white wine blend from the Alder Springs Vineyard in the cool and crisp western portion of Mendocino County. Utilizing native yeast fermentation and neutral French oak barrels, this wine expresses the unique characteristics of the vineyard and varietals used in its production. The natural alcohol level is 13.5% and the wine features classic white Rhone characteristics of flowers, dried farm herbs, wild sage, and pale straw. This wine has a liquid gold appearance that yields a bouquet of fresh pears and wild acacia flowers. On the palate, the flavors start as a flowery herbal tea and evolve into a rich honey and almond oil. Over time, it will develop a silky texture and intensify in both color and richness.
2015 Chardonnay, Ritchie Vineyard, Sonoma Coast
I had every intention of featuring their outstanding Estate Chardonnay until I tasted the Ritchie Vineyard Chardonnay. They say that the 2015 vintage was a winemaker’s vintage. Due to very low yields, the vines produced grapes that were more intense and created beautiful, rich and complex wines.
The 2015 Ritchie Vineyard is delicate, understated and classy from start to finish. Soft contours, chamomile, dried pear, almonds, and orchard fruit are all woven together in this very pretty, sensual wine. The flavor profile tends towards the more savory end of the spectrum. Few new world Chardonnay sites rival the prestige of the famed Ritchie Vineyard and these true old wente clone vines are among the oldest Chardonnay growing in all of Sonoma County.
2015 Pinot Noir, Heaven & Earth, Coletti Ranch, Sonoma Coast
Red Car has been crafting Heaven & Earth longer than any other Pinot Noir bottling. Since the inaugural 2007 vintage, it has developed quite a following among loyal fans and is typically the first of their Pinot Noirs to completely sell out. The wine comes from the small 4.5 acre Heaven & Earth site on the Coletti Ranch, in the heart of the Occidental region, planted using the calera, pommard and 828 clones. The 2015 vintage will prove to be another favorite for fans of Heaven & Earth. The blocks of calera – characteristically a riper, smaller berry – form the backbone of this luscious Pinot Noir. This heritage clone is highly concentrated and helps define the site-specific expression of this velvety, sumptuous wine. It epitomizes the concept of “cool sunshine” and consistently offers a perfect balance between power and acidity.
2014 Pinot Noir, Estate, Ft. Ross-Seaview Vineyard
The Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir is Red Car’s benchmark wine, offering the ideal synthesis of grace, concentration, balance, and flavor. First planted in 2005 to multiple suitcase selections and dijon clones of Pinot Noir, the ninth vintage from this site displays a familiar level of intensity that is attributed to the maturing of these vines, as well as the favorable growing conditions for 2014. The well-drained Ohlson Ranch sandstone soils naturally limit vigor while the cool sunshine, moderated by the fog covered Pacific Ocean, maintains balanced ripening throughout the growing season. 2014 was the second vintage harvested from the calera clone, which has added a new level of concentration and complexity to this highly sought after wine. This is a perfumed Pinot Noir, with mouth-watering acidity and completely integrated tannins.
2013 Syrah, Vivio Vineyard, Bennett Valley
The Vivio Vineyard is perfectly situated where fog enters Bennett Valley from the Petaluma Wind Gap. It is the first Syrah vineyard in the valley to cool down and the last to heat up. It is Red Car’s only vineyard growing in red volcanic soil, which lends a distinct mineral edge to the Rhône varietals planted there. They have designated it as part of their single vineyard echelon for its lean, focused intensity. A beautiful cool weather Syrah showing aromas and flavors of anise, violets, white pepper & iron.
The Offer
Rosé of Pinot Noir - $20 per 750 ml | $50 per magnum
minimum 3 per order for magnum size
The Pearl - $28
Chardonnay, Ritchie Vineyard - $46
Pinot Noir, Heaven & Earth - $60
Pinot Noir, Estate - $64
Syrah - $54 |
