CLEMENTINE CARTER...In honor of where I am today.

She captured my heart the first time I saw her years ago with my dad watching My Darling Clementine. I have not been able to shake her since. She is a fictional character that represents an archetype for determination and ingenuity across complicated landscapes. Plus, her name rules. Sonja is great - I love it. It is everything to me. It’s also nice that Clem gets to wear a cowboy hat on her travels and I get to go along for the ride.

Rhône varietals grown in Santa Barbara Wine Country are the focus of Clementine Carter, particularly Grenache and my new love Mourvèdre. Grenache is a crazy challenging grape to farm. Big clusters, big berries, thick skins (contrary to what books will tell you). Farming Grenache is all about nuance. Finding the right zone with the correct balance to elevate the sexy, elegant, finessed tingles beautiful wine can impart. I have had the privilege of working with almost every Grenache vineyard in Santa Barbara County searching for the ones that resonate with me and my goals - to deliver a pure wine experience with pure intention. I have made a lot of Grenache in my 15+ years making wine and I joke that I don’t really know what Grenache tastes like. Each wine should taste likes its home. Sincerity. Purity. Love.

“The site, the farming team, the camaraderie and mutual respect for one another are what make wines delicious. ”

Clementine Carter has been a joy to explore, particularly in finding collaborative partners. Rachel Taylor, that tender, tough soul, drew the sketches freehand that appear throughout the label lineup. Alexandra Gibbs, that sweet child with the brilliant eye and easy smile took all photos for Clementine Carter. Andrew Harner, the designer who understands intention in just a few words, created the labels. Sonja Magdevski, proprietor, giant, winemaker, writer-girl who asks too many questions produced all the goods in the bottles. Enjoy.

Wines

Clementine Carter GRENACHE ROSE 2018

90 pts. Wine Advocate

100% Grenache Gris clone, Tierra Alta Vineyard. Soft blush pink like young tender rose petals, fruit was only gently in the press fumbling toward ecstasy. Please listen to Darryl DMC tell his Moth Radio Hour story about how Sarah McLachlan saved his life. $36

130 cases produced. SOLD OUT. New vintage available April 2020.

“Pale salmon-pink colored, the 2018 Grenache Rosé features baker’s yeast and savory hints to begin, with green melon, underripe strawberry, white pepper, herbs and raspberry. It's light to medium-bodied with a good core of spiced fruits and peppery notions, juicy acidity and a long, refreshing and slightly textured finish.” - Erin Brooks

Clementine Carter Grenache Blanc Santa barbara county 2018

From Kimsey and Lacerte Vineyards, I wanted to capture the elegance and intensity of both worlds as I interpreted each site. It’s like running through a massive field of wildflowers in a glowing halo of sunshine holding hands with someone I adore. You should try it. It’s great fun and really beautiful. $36

230 cases produced.

Clementine Carter Grenache STA. RITA HILLS 2017

93 pts. - Wine Advocate

Leave your penny loafers at home. This wine is the troublemaker in the Ivy Leagues. Who knew Grenache could demonstrate such piercing identity among the well-heeled? Spear and John Sebastiano vineyards. One-third whole cluster fermentation. Long, cool gentle fermentation. 30+ days on the skins. Pressed into neutral French oak barrels for aging. $38

150 cases produced.

“Fruit for the 2017 Sta. Rita Hills Grenache comes from the John Sebastiano and Spear vineyards. Pale to medium ruby in color, it has a wonderfully expressive nose of desiccated roses, pink peppercorn, crushed strawberry and warm raspberries with black cherries, potpourri, dusty earth and lots of meaty notes at the core. The palate is light to medium-bodied, saline and silky on entry, fleshing out to pretty layers of floral-tinged fruits, with fine, grainy tannins and juicy freshness, finishing long and perfumed. Great expression of Grenache!” - Erin Brooks

CLEMENTINE Carter GRaciano Santa Ynez Valley 2017

92 pts. Wine Enthusiast. Editor’s Choice

92 pts. Wine Advocate

Graciano! Hello there sexy! Think Chanel No. 5, fishnets, and a feather boa... in a vineyard. Now make wine from these grapes. The wine is high-toned, velvety with an almost florescent purple color. You’re welcome. This is a fun* story in a case of mistaken identity. Two hundred acres were planted in California over the last ten years to what was originally intended to be Monastrell clone Mourvèdre. Surprise! The anomalies were too great to keep us convinced for too long. In 2018 it was discovered that indeed the Monastrell was actually Graciano. *Fun for us who get to reap the benefits of this “mistake”. Not so fun if you were counting on the Mourvèdre to actually be, well, Mourvèdre. $45

100 cases produced. SOLD OUT. New vintage available September 2019.

“The 2017 Graciano is medium to deep ruby-purple with a very pretty nose of cinnamon stick and exotic spices—coriander, cumin, BBQ spice—with a great core of tricolored fruit reminiscent of mixed berry jam plus hints of tar, char and perfumed earth—lovely fruit and secondary layers. Medium to full-bodied and silky in the mouth with luscious, spicy fruits, it has a firm frame of grainy texturing tannins, juicy acidity and a long finish. Yum! 125 cases produced.” - Erin Brooks

Clementine Carter Grenache Sta. Rita Hills 2016

92 pts. Wine Advocate

A blend of two vineyards in the Sta. Rita Hills: Spear and John Sebastiano. Spear is a relatively new site in the SRH farmed organically by Ofer Shepher. John Sebastiano is an imposing vineyard composed of dozens of different blocks, soil types and aspects. The Grenache in this blend is from the tippy top of the site, on an east facing extreme slope, in flinty-clay soils. The SRH region is equally as expressive for Grenache as it is for its acclaimed Pinot Noir, revealing deep minerality and finesse. $38

150 cases produced. SOLD OUT.

"The 2016 Sta. Rita Hills Grenache from Clementine Carter is a delicate, translucent ruby in hue, not much more saturated than a deep rosé. The wine soars from the glass with an extravagantly fragrant bouquet of rose water and raspberries, followed by a supple, satiny palate endowed with beautifully pure fruit and fragrance. As its pale color indicates, this is a wine that makes no concessions to convention— but it's a beautiful expression of Grenache." - William Kelley

Clementine Carter Grenache Santa Barbara County 2016

91 pts. Wine Advocate 90 pts. Wine Spectator

A blend of 6 vineyards that speaks directly to the beauty and bounty of our overall growing area. This wine delivers a plush, round, palate-pleasing wine represented by Larner, John Sebastiano, Spear, Tierra Alta, Kimsey + Santa Barbara Highlands vineyards. Each lot was fermented separately with 1/3 whole cluster fermentation. $38

150 cases produced.

"The 2016 Santa Barbara County Grenache offers up a textbook bouquet of rose petal, spice, Griotte cherry and white pepper. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied, supple and elegant, finishing with light grip, its ample core of fruit sweet but not candied. This is an excellent Grenache." - William Kelley

"Silky and sleek, with lively raspberry, smoked pepper and sweet anise flavors that linger. Drink now through 2023." Wine Spectator

Clementine Carter Grenache Santa Barbara Highlands 2016 SBC

91+ pts. Wine Advocate

Santa Barbara Highlands is a distinctive vineyard located in a remote wispy corner of Santa Barbara County in New Cuyama. Surrounded by pistachio orchards accessible by a clumsy dirt road, Lino Bozzano farms this site with a magical touch few can accomplish considering the array of varietals, farming methods and producers he accommodates. This site delivers on its eccentricity. $45

100 cases produced. SOLD OUT.

"The 2016 Santa Barbara Highlands Grenache wafts from the glass with lovely aromas of plum, cherry, rose hip and herbs. On the palate, the wine is very expansive, open-knit and transparent —but then some firm stem tannins clamp down on the gums. With a year or two in the cellar this should mellow very nicely, but for now it's one of the more structurally rustic bottlings in the range." - William Kelley

Clementine Carter Grenache Kimsey 2016 Ballard Canyon

95 pts. Jeb Dunnuck

93 pts. Wine Advocate

A dear winemaking friend of mine whom I respect immensely suggested I work with Kimsey vineyard. “It’s the best I’ve seen,” he said. After years of asking, I jumped at the chance in 2016 when given the opportunity. I have no intention of giving it up. This site is the epitome of luscious and savory, caressing the palate with eye opening fruit. Organically farmed. $45

100 cases produced. SOLD OUT.

"The 2016 Grenache Kimsey is a beauty! Kirsch, crushed flowers, framboise, licorice, and ground pepper all emerge from this medium to full-bodied, silky, seamless beauty that has sweet tannin, a balanced, ethereal texture, and a great finish. It's light and graceful, yet still packs fabulous intensity and depth.." - Jeb Dunnuck

Clementine Carter Grenache Larner 2016 Ballard Canyon

94 pts. Vinous

Larner vineyard in Ballard Canyon represents excellence in all aspects of farming, family and attention to every detail. A few years ago during harvest I took a photo of the vineyard while checking fruit and the next day Michael Larner asked, “How’s the fruit looking?” He is aware of every square inch of his property. The soils are all sand on a protected gentle slope. The fruit is consistently a delight to work with year after year, a true benchmark that creates a wine of piercing identity. Organically farmed. $45

100 cases produced.

“The 2016 Grenache Larner is wonderfully alive and multi-dimensional in the glass. Rose petal, mint and savory herbs add myriad shades of dimension to this super-expressive Ballard Canyon Grenache. Quite simply, this is a superb effort from Sonja Magdevski.” - Antonio Galloni

Clementine Carter Mourvèdre Curtis Vineyard 2016 Santa Ynez Valley

93 pts. Jeb Dunnuck

Planted originally by the Firestone family on a protected mesa on loam soils, this stretch of the Santa Ynez Valley is where many of the original wine estates were established in our area. This Mourvèdre is consistently plush and rich, a sincere product of it sun-loving location. $45

100 cases produced. SOLD OUT. New Vintage coming October 2019.

"The 2016 Mourvèdre Curtis was brought up neutral barrels. Its medium ruby color gives way to a spicy, savory, marine-influenced red that's loaded with tons of spiced cherry and blackberry fruits, ground pepper, and cured meat-like aromas and flavors. As with all these wines from winemaker Sonja Magdevski, it's elegant, seamless, and silky on the palate.” - Jeb Dunnuck

Clementine Carter CIDER +

“I am fascinated by the transparent nature of cider and it ability to carry its partner fruit while also elevating its status. My goal is to pair cider with a new wine varietal each year (and fancy the results)! It’s a new discovery each vintage. Won’t you join us?”

Clementine Carter Mourvedrè Cider 2017

Love potion in a bottle. You have never had anything like it. The Mourvedrè from Curtis was destemmed whole berry with the equivalent volume of fresh pressed organic apple juice added for a 50/50 blend. A Jolly Rancher explosion of flavor and fun. Serve chilled for most the gratifying results. Will pair with everything from pizza to filet mignon - even grilled artichokes with homemade aioli and sautéed fennel with shaved parmesan – foods that are notoriously difficult to pair wine with. Try our delicious Sangria recipe, as well! $32

Central Coast. 100 cases produced. SOLD OUT.

Grüner VELTLINER CIDER 2018 (aka apple grape wine)

Grüner Veltliner fruit from Spear Vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills was co-fermented with Bear Creek Ranch apple juice in stainless steel tanks and 90 gallon neutral French oak barrels. Bottle conditioned for an effervescent treat. Available in 500 ml bottles and one-way 20L kegs.

Central Coast. 70 cases produced. $15 SOLD OUT.

Previous Vintage Ciders - sold out

CLEMENTINE CARTER GRENACHE Rosé CIDER 2016

Grenache Rosé co-fermented with Bear Creek Ranch apple juice created a beautiful pink festival of bubbles. Available only in 20L kegs.

Clementine Carter Skin Ferment Semillon

Old-Vine Semillon from Santa Ynez was destemmed and fermented on the skins for 30 days in a very cold environment, stirred once daily, then pressed into neutral French oak barrels. Wine was aged for 10 months before bottle conditioning and bottling by hand. Available in 500 ml bottles.

Clementine Carter Semillon Cider 2015

50% organic Aptos cider was co-fermented with 50% old vine Semillon in neutral French oak barrels. Produced like wine. Aged 10 months before bottle conditioning.

Available in 500 ml bottles and 20L one-way recyclable kegs.

Grenache Blanc Cider 2014

Grenache Blanc Cider - 50/50 co ferment with Grenache Blanc and Cider in neutral French oak barrels. Still cider.

Saison Cider 2014

100% pure cider barrel fermented in oak barrels using saison yeast. The beer makers were skeptical. We knew better. It's delightful. Bottle conditioned.

Fejoia cider 2014

Fejoia fruit was crushed and added directly to barrel for fermentation with the cider. An aromatic wonder this thing - bottle conditioned, too.

SKIN FERMENT cider 2014

Apple pulp from our pressed apples were and added directly to barrel for fermentation with the cider for a double-apple experience. Bottle conditioned.