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More wines available from Monte Rio Cellars
750ml
Bottle:
$24.95
100% Chardonnay from Hawkeye vineyard in Mendocino County. Organically farmed. Natural yeast fermentation occurred in...
750ml
Bottle:
$22.94
Mencia from 25 year-old vines of Somers Vineyard in Lodi. All organically farmed and hand harvested fruit. 100% whole...
750ml
Bottle:
$23.92
100% Mission grapes from Somers vineyard, farmed organically in Lodi.10-day carbonic maceration in tank. The fruit...
750ml
Bottle:
$19.90
$20.80
The 2021 Petite Sirah is laced with inky blue/purplish fruit, hard candy, mint, sage and white flowers. Whole...
750ml
Bottle:
$19.94
$21.60
100% Sangiovese from the biodynamically farmed River’s Edge Vineyard in Lodi AVA. Vine age is approximately 20...
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Monte Rio Cellars
Varietal: Carignan
The Carignan grape varietal has been grown and processed in Europe for centuries, and is thought to have originated in the Aragon region of Spain. Indeed, it is still sometimes used in the production of Spain's famous blended Rioja wines, where its high astringency, tannins and acidity levels lend a bit of a boost to the other grape varietals in the blend. Nowadays, the Carignan varietal is most commonly associated with the fine red wines of Languedoc, where it is grown is large quantities by expert vintners who know how to deal with its often harsh characteristics. Carignan is particularly susceptible to all kinds of rot and mildew, and as such thrives in hotter, drier climates. However, given careful treatment, it is a fine and versatile grape varietal which can produce superb wines of excellent character.
Region: California
California as a wine producing region has grown in size and importance considerably over the past couple of centuries, and today is the proud producer of more than ninety percent of the United States' wines. Indeed, if California was a country, it would be the fourth largest producer of wine in the world, with a vast range of vineyards covering almost half a million acres. The secret to California's success as a wine region has a lot to do with the high quality of its soils, and the fact that it has an extensive Pacific coastline which perfectly tempers the blazing sunshine it experiences all year round. The winds coming off the ocean cool the vines, and the natural valleys and mountainsides which make up most of the state's wine regions make for ideal areas in which to cultivate a variety of high quality grapes.
Country: United States
Whilst there are several strains of native grape varietals in the United States, it was the introduction of the European species which prompted the country to begin producing wines on a large scale. Over the past few centuries, experimentation and cross-breeding has produced great successes in regards to the quality and suitability of the fruit grown in states such as California, Oregon, Washington and New York, and the past few decades have seen New World wines from the United States reach much higher standards. Arguably the finest United States wines have always come out of California, where the climate and terrroir is most suitable for fine wine production. The masterful blending of classic grape varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, amongst others including Syrah and Chardonnay, have had world beating results in recent years, prompting many to suggest that there has never been a better time for buying and drinking United States wines.