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750ml
Bottle:
$28.93
12 bottles:
$28.35
The Santa Barbara County Grenache was inspired by Fonsalette from Chateau Rayas. The wine represents two very...
750ml
Bottle:
$41.87
12 bottles:
$41.03
The 2021 Grenache Santa Barbara Highlands Vineyard is one of the more ethereal and aromatic wines in this range....
750ml
Bottle:
$44.93
12 bottles:
$44.03
Fermented with 38% whole clusters, the 2020 Grenache Thompson Vineyard is more meaty and almost nutty, with ripe,...
750ml
Bottle:
$45.66
12 bottles:
$44.75
Deceptive in its light-bodied structure, the 2021 Grenache Vie Caprice packs quite the punch. Darker tonalities of...
![Aeris [By Rhys] Bianco 'Centennial Mountain' 2018 750ml](https://www.saratogawine.com/files/images/cached_thumbs/4c/4c678277dba04f7e857955ace5d3e062.jpg){kind=small}
750ml
Bottle:
$36.48
$38.40
Beautiful lemon, tangerine, honey, green herbs, and white flower notes emerge from the 2018 Carricante Bianco...
![Aeris [By Rhys] Carricante 'Centennial Mountain' 2018 750ml](https://www.saratogawine.com/files/images/cached_thumbs/d4/d4180ece6a416f3caebb31584f0eeba0.jpg)
750ml
Bottle:
$49.94
$54.00
The 2018 Carricante Centennial Mountain Vineyard is exotic, translucent and full of character. Lemon confit, orchard...
750ml
Bottle:
$19.44
$21.60
12 bottles:
$17.10
This wine has great color, with a dark purple and red hue. There are spicy, earthy aromas of black cherry, black...
750ml
Bottle:
$21.23
$23.59
12 bottles:
$18.99
Varietally distinct, this Zinfandel captures the true essence of Alexander Valley. The fruit is sourced from a...
750ml
Bottle:
$27.90
12 bottles:
$27.34
The 2016 Zinfandel Monte Rosso Vineyard is medium garnet-purple in color and opens with notions of raspberry tart,...
750ml
Bottle:
$28.13
6 bottles:
$27.57
A rich wine with layers of raspberry, cherry, and blackberry complemented by vanilla, licorice, and toast....
750ml
Bottle:
$50.40
6 bottles:
$45.60
The 2019 Zinfandel Cat's Cradle is similarly hued but has a purer, crisper, more youthful vibe as well as ample plum...
750ml
Bottle:
$43.20
$48.00
6 bottles:
$34.40
Dark plum and black-cherry flavors show great richness and breadth in this mouth-filling, slightly tannic wine as it...
750ml
Bottle:
$52.94
12 bottles:
$51.88
Tightly focused and refined for a Zinfandel, this version packs in deep flavors of black cherry, licorice and roasted...
750ml
Bottle:
$21.87
12 bottles:
$21.43
Dynamic and generous, this Zin combines old-school briar with sleek suppleness, serving up stylish flavors of...
750ml
Bottle:
$25.94
The 2019 Grenache opens with effusive aromas of strawberry, sandalwood, floral spice and earthiness. A sleek, soft...
750ml
Bottle:
$44.90
12 bottles:
$44.00
60% Zinfandel,15% Grenache, 10% Alicante Bouschet, 5% Petite Sirah and 10% "other" (20+ other varieties, in fact)...
750ml
Bottle:
$26.93
$28.80
"Bambino" comes from a ten-acre block planted on Old Hill in 1998. This young-vine field blend is patterned after the...
750ml
Bottle:
$21.94
12 bottles:
$21.50
Eight Spur Zinfandel displays loads of blueberry and strawberry flavors, with hints of cinnamon, tobacco leaf, and...
375ml
Bottle:
$17.94
12 bottles:
$17.58
Plump and generous, with jammy cherry and raspberry flavors laced with black pepper and briar patch accents. Ends...
750ml
Bottle:
$27.94
12 bottles:
$26.60
Black-purple in color with aromas of blackberry, hints of plum, cherry and chocolate. Flavors of sweet blackberry,...
Carricante Grenache Zinfandel United States California Santa Barbara Sonoma Valley
The purple skinned grapes of the Grenache varietal have quickly become one of the most widely planted red wine grapes in the world, flourishing in several countries which have the correct conditions in which they can grow to ripeness. They thrive anywhere with a dry, hot climate, such as that found in central Spain and other such arid areas, and produce delightfully light bodied wines full of spicy flavors and notes of dark berries. Their robustness and relative vigor has led them being a favorite grape varietal for wineries all over the world, and whilst it isn't uncommon to see bottles made from this varietal alone, they are also regularly used as a blending grape due to their high sugar content and ability to produce wines containing a relatively high level of alcohol.
The precise origins of what became known as the Zinfandel grape variety are uncertain, although it has clear genetic equivalents in both Puglia and Croatia. However, when it was brought to the New World in the mid 19th century, it became known as the Zinfandel, and has been consistently popular and widely grown ever since. These very dark and very round grapes have a remarkably high sugar content, resulting in relatively high levels of alcohol in the wines they are made into, with bottles often displaying as much as fifteen percent. What makes the Zinfandel such an interesting grape, though, is the fact that the flavors produced by this varietal vary considerably depending on the climate they are grown in. In cooler valley regions, the Zinfandel grapes result in wines which hold strong flavors of tart and sweet fruits; raspberry, redcurrant and sweet cherry, held in a very smooth and silky liquid. Conversely, warmer regions result in more complex and spicy notes, including anise, pepper and hedgerow berries.
Of all the New World wine countries, perhaps the one which has demonstrated the most flair for producing high quality wines - using a combination of traditional and forward-thinking contemporary methods - has been the United States of America. For the past couple of centuries, the United States has set about transforming much of its suitable land into vast vineyards, capable of supporting a wide variety of world-class grape varietals which thrive on both the Atlantic and the Pacific coastlines. Of course, we immediately think of sun-drenched California in regards to American wines, with its enormous vineyards responsible for the New World's finest examples of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot based wines, but many other states have taken to viticulture in a big way, with impressive results. Oregon, Washington State and New York have all developed sophisticated and technologically advanced wine cultures of their own, and the output of U.S wineries is increasing each year as more and more people are converted to their produce.
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.
Santa Barbara is home to many of California's most sought after wines, with a powerful reputation for superbly crafted, old world style big, flavorful and complex red wines. The white wine industry in the region is growing, too, with many wineries within Santa Barbara successfully experimenting with several classic white wine grape varietals. As in much of California, Santa Barbara benefits from the blazing west coast sunshine, coupled with cooling Pacific Ocean breezes and fogs, which help to temper the grapes and slow the ripening process, thus ensuring more flavor and aroma in the resulting wines. Although Santa Barbara is a relatively young wine region, it is home to many wineries who are extremely dedicated when it comes to demonstrating just how good their terroir is, and how characterful their region's wines can be.
California's beautiful and remarkably fertile Sonoma Valley has grown over the decades to become one of the United States' most respected and profitable wine regions, with wineries within the region benefiting from the superb Californian sunshine, low rainfall and wonderfully rich soils. Because of this vital combination of excellent conditions, the region is able to grow a wide range of grape varietals for use in the production of an impressive array of wines, with many different red and white wine grapes flourishing each year and producing excellent and characterful results. The soils have been enriched by volcanic activity, and the presence of geothermal springs, which make this region a unique one, and very much the beating heart of California's ever growing wine industry.