Carboniste California Brut 2020

Viticulture

Origin: Santa Cruz, Marin, Santa Rita

This wine is assembled from a range of cool-climate vineyards from which we source our Pinot Noir and Chardonnay including the Santa Cruz Mountains, Marin County, and Santa Rita. Carboniste considers these to be the best appellations in California for sparkling wine, and carefully selected barrels helped craft this unique sparkling brut.

Vinification

After harvest, grapes were pressed whole cluster and settled for 1-2 days as juice. Clear juice helps to retain the purity and focus of this wine. The juice was fermented in barrel with native yeast at 60-70°F for 3 weeks. The fermentation sediment was kept with the wine in barrel for 11-23 months without the addition of sulfur dioxide and the wine finished malo-lactic fermention naturally.

The wine was bottled with fresh yeast and a small amount of sugar. After 23 months in bottle, the yeast had consumed the sugar, the sediment was removed, and we added back a small amount of wine and sugar.

Tasting notes

Bright and energetic with aromas of stone fruit and lemon giving way to a robust, slightly salty palate with notes of both brioche and white florals.

Winery Description

After meeting at UC Davis, Dan and Jacqueline Person worked around the world, then around California. These experiences informed their perspectives on winemaking. Dan worked for Schramsberg Vineyards for 3 years, making traditional sparkling wines from California grapes. Based on that experience, Dan decided there was a need for a new interpretation of California sparkling wine. Jacqueline was concurrently making still wines from a variety of terroirs across the Golden State, terroirs that have inspired the vineyard selections for CARBONISTE.

From Dan...
“In my mind, you don’t try to make Bordeaux in Burgundy, that would be silly … So why are we, in California, trying to make Champagne? The climate is very different, the soil is different, and fundamentally we have a different terroir … So I launched this company as an experiment to figure out what we could be doing in California that’s not simply an emulation of Champagne. Imagine you take a piece of fruit from the outside of a tree, sitting in the sun and it's really ripe and warm, it has a very strong fruit expression. If you get fruit from the shady part of the tree, it's still hard and not ripe. Fundamentally what happens in California is that we have all the sunshine, all the sweetness, and you can taste it … In a blind tasting, you would never be confused once you learn the difference.”

From Jacqueline...
“I love wines of distinction. Winemakers around the world are working to produce unique wines from their cellars, using their fruit. Wines of place and style. Making these wines is a noble pursuit, which we hope to accomplish at CARBONISTE.”

Together Dan and Jaquiline are dedicated to making sparkling wines that are modern and reflective of the grape and the place.

The wines are always made with food in mind, so the gas pressure is a bit lower than champagne, and the etiquettes are designed with fresh seafood pairings in mind. Making their own unique, California sparkling wine is a noble pursuit.