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Featured Winery
Ferrari-Carano
The Carneros appellation straddles two counties, Napa and Sonoma, at their southernmost edges along the San Pablo Bay. The Carneros features an unusually cool climate punctuated with afternoon sea breezes that sweep the vineyards during the growing season - ideal conditions for our Chardonnay grapes. Fog is also a frequent and lingering phenomenon here. The long, cool growing season matures the fruit slowly, giving it plenty of time to gain in richness and depth while retaining a higher acidity and tighter structure than in a warmer climate. Ferrari-Carano's Reserve Chardonnay grapes are grown in the vineyards of Carneros. Ferrari-Carano vineyard practices are customized to match the particular characteristics of each vineyard to help the vines produce the best fruit possible, and to in turn, achieve the best wine possible.
Directed by Don Carano and orchestrated under the supervision of Steve Domenichelli, Director of Vineyard Operations, these practices are extremely labor intensive. Steve and his team implement irrigation and nutrient regimes, trellis system and canopy management, rootstock and clone combinations, and pruning and cane selection for each vineyard site and each block within a vineyard. Because of Sonoma County's diverse geological makeup, even within one vineyard parcel there may be several different types of soil with different degrees of nutrients for vines and water-holding capacity.
In addition, Steve and his team practice sustainable farming techniques, such as recycling organic matter for use as mulch in the vineyards, planting cover crops and other plant species to avoid soil erosion, add desirable nutrients back to the soil and to attract desirable insects, and integrating animals to naturally enhance biodiversity and nutrient recycling. Ferrari-Carano has long practiced sustainable farming techniques to help protect the land. Don and Rhonda Carano realized that to achieve their goal of producing memorable wines of outstanding quality, they needed to start in the vineyards and not focus solely on the winemaking. Inspired to meet their present goals while preserving the land for future generations, Don and Rhonda made the commitment to implement sustainable farming techniques from vineyard to bottle.
Featured Wine
2006 Sauvignon Blanc 
A mild late spring and summer ensured a healthy canopy, which provided the perfect combination of sunlight and heat penetrating the grape clusters. These conditions allowed the grapes to reach full maturity in both flavor and structure. Harvest was completed early-October. When the hand-harvested Sauvignon Blanc grapes arrived at the winery, they were crushed and destemmed, and then moved directly to stainless steel tanks for two days of cold settling, and then cold fermentation that occurred at 55 degrees for 30 days. The cold fermentation helps preserve the fresh fruit character of the wine. The wine aged in 100% stainless steel, which helped to retain the Sauvignon Blanc�s bright fresh fruit flavors and crisp acidity. Refreshing and crisp, this lovely, balanced wine displays orange blossom, honeydew melon, guava and white nectarine flavors with hints of citrus and mineral notes.