An Evening with: Ferrari-Carano

Tonight’s presentation to the San Diego Wine Guild was from Ferrari-Carano Wines. As before, the meeting started with the announcements of upcoming events, thanks for attending the meeting and an introduction of all the guests in attendance. Then the introduction of Sommelier Heike Unkel from Ferrari-Carano.

Heike presented a quick background on herself, being a German youth who was an equestrian rider in Southern California during her formative years. After returning home, she realized that SoCal was calling, and returned to the OC. After doing the ‘Introductory’ Sommelier for work, one of the instructors urged her to the complete the ‘Certified’ level, as he believed she possessed the knowledge and skill to pass. She did on her first try!

Heike then began to give the background of the owners of the winery, the Carano family. Having made his money in Casino’s, Don Carano & his wife wanted to have a something that was more hands on. A project for them to work on, build & grow. As his staff will tell you, Don Carano says, “Great wine begins in the vineyard.” He, his wife, and staff are on 1^st name basis in the vineyard, as they are truly involved owners.

Mr. & Mrs. Carano’s uncompromising commitment excellence is a reflection of their desire to produce memorable wines. They have not backed away from technology, helping to develop innovative grape processing and barrels to deliver quality & consistency.

The first wine of the evening was a 2015 Chardonnay, Sonoma County (link), a true California Classic Chardonnay. With fruit and flowers on the nose & a buttery palate. Then they poured the comparison wine, a 2014 Reserve Chardonnay, Carneros Napa (link). The difference of the treatment of these wines was immediately prevalent on the nose & palate. Where the first wine had fruit & flowers, the 2^nd wine was toasted sugar & stone fruit notes.

The third wine this evening was a 2014 Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley (link) that had a soft nose. The nose and body were slightly disconnected here, as the palate of this wine was intense. Very nice and luscious.

The next wine we tasted was a Sangiovese Blend, 2014 Siena (link). This Italian inspired blend was very reminiscent of Chianti Classico. It went really well with the cheese and crackers I still had on my plate too. From here we went in the direction of a French classic, the GSM blend. They presented the 2015 UNA (link), a very classic GSM blend that was probably the highlight of the evening for me. This wine was complex, yet restrained while displaying an array of layers throughout the finish.

A close second in my preferred wines of the evening, a 2015 Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley (link) was poured next. The nose was full of dark fruit & herbs, while the palate was jammy with pepper & cocoa. Great conversation erupted at our table when someone tried to say that one of the last 2 wines was better than the other. To be honest, I don’t remember which one they had said first, but it was clear we were all divided on the subject but united on their excellence.

A 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley (link) was the next to be evaluated. This reminded me of ‘old world’ wine, with earthy notes. This would have been a great BBQ wine. The last wine of the night was another blend, 2013 Tresor, Sonoma County (link), this time styled in the Bordeaux ratios. This wine was well rounded, ticking off a lot of the boxes you want with a food pairing wine. This big red wine also showed the structure of something that will age very well.

After the presentation was complete, a lively discussion proceeded about everyone’s favorite of the evening. What they were able to discern –vs– winemaker notes that were provided. As well as plans for the upcoming camp-out and how many cases of wine then needed. Cheers to another great evening with the San Diego Wine Guild.