Welcome to our Winter 2014 Release Offering which features our initial release of wines from the heralded 2013 vintage and the inaugural release of two new small-production wines: the 2013 Manchester Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noir and the 2013 Manchester Ridge Vineyard Chardonnay. Wild, exotic, mountainous, and perched directly above the San Andreas Fault, the Manchester Ridge Vineyard is like no other in California. Close enough to the sea to hear waves crashing yet high enough to rise above the fog, it yields wines of immense complexity and tension. This offering is your best opportunity to acquire these new terroir-driven, single-vineyard wines as well as to enjoy the next releases of two long time friends, our 2013 Falstaff Vineyard Pinot Noir and 2013 Vivio Vineyard Roussanne.
No More Waiting For Your Wines: With this mailer, we are pleased to announce a significant shift in how we make our allocated wines available to you, a change we hope you find most agreeable. In the past, allocations were offered six months in advance of release. Moving forward, your allocation will be timed closer to the release of the wines, so that you will receive them much sooner, typically within six weeks following your order. For this Winter 2014 Release Offering, you will receive your wines in time for the December holidays. Please do not delay as this offer will close at the end of November.
Islands in the Sky

Our winemaking vision has always taken us to the threshold of the possible; nothing about where we practice our craft is easy. Our vineyards are located on a handful of hilltops within a few miles of the Pacific Ocean. We grow alongside the colossal redwood trees in areas seen more by wildlife than humans. These sites are few and far between and with the Manchester Ridge Vineyard, our first foray into Mendocino County, we are continuing our journey to find such perfectly suited vineyards to create wines with grace and beauty.

The mountain range that comprises the Mendocino Ridge AVA is an extension of the Sonoma Coast range; it just lies north of the invisible Sonoma – Mendocino County border. In fact, the Manchester Ridge Vineyard shares more similarities with our Estate Vineyard in the famed Fort Ross – Seaview Appellation than it does with any other AVA located within Mendocino County. Like Fort Ross, it consistently receives 60–100 inches of rainfall a year. Our Estate is 3.7 miles from the ocean and sits at 1,000 feet in elevation while Manchester Ridge is 3.5 miles and hovers over a dramatic cliff at 2,000 feet in elevation. Both sites are among the closest to the ocean in California and both have a series of soil originating from the ocean floor. They also share their isolation, making them some of the most difficult vineyards to manage because of the extreme distance between these “islands in the sky” and human civilization.

The Mendocino Ridge AVA was approved in 1997 and although the entire region encompasses a quarter of a million acres, vineyards are only planted at 1,200 ft. elevation and above. Essentially, this means that only 2% of this massive stretch of land along the Mendocino coast is suitable for growing grapes. And the Manchester Ridge Vineyard represents almost half of the acres planted in the AVA, giving it a very rare existence.

During the three hour journey from our winery in Sebastopol to the site, you experience wild hogs, countless hawks, multiple herds of deer and coveys of quail and even bald eagles. About halfway through the voyage, as you drive alongside massive redwoods privy to the unfolding animal kingdom, you realize it has been more than an hour since your last human contact; not another car has been in sight for miles. Then you break out of the forest onto the ridge tops, begin to hear the ocean and come to understand that paradise has been found.

Like the West Sonoma Coast, yields are typically quite small and access to wines from this hallmark region is very limited. We are proud to add the Manchester Ridge Vineyard to our network of truly cool-climate sites and invite you to enjoy an allocation of these highly sought after wines.

The Wines

2013 Manchester Ridge Vineyard

PINOT NOIR

Wild, exotic, mountainous, and perched directly above the San Andreas Fault, the Manchester Ridge Vineyard is like no other in California. Close enough to the sea to hear waves crashing yet high enough to rise above the fog, it yields wines of immense complexity and tension. The mountain range that comprises the Mendocino Ridge AVA, where this vineyard is located, is an extension of the Sonoma Coast range just north of the county line, making this Red Car’s only site in Mendocino County.

Taste: Wild blackberry, cigar box, morel mushrooms

2013 Manchester Ridge Vineyard

CHARDONNAY

This graceful Chardonnay was fermented in 100% neutral oak from France to showcase its natural intensity of flavor. Its old world Chardonnay flavors are perfectly exhibited by its high acidity and fully integrated mouth feel. We are excited to bring this bright, floral, and crisp Chardonnay into our lineup of single-vineyard wines. Don’t miss this one!

Taste: Key lime, white hibiscus, kumquat

2013 Falstaff Vineyard

PINOT NOIR

The Falstaff Vineyard lies on a windswept ridge in the Sebastopol Hills region of the West Sonoma Coast. Fully exposed to daily winds and coastal fog, it produces tiny, often seedless, berries and wines of intense, feminine complexity. Planted by Ron and Judy Lougheed in 2000 utilizing clones 828, 777 and 115, this is a marginal Sebastopol Hills site where ripening is quite difficult but the results speak for themselves.

Taste: Black tea, pomegranate, pine needles

2013 Vivio Vineyard

ROUSSANNE

Single-varietal Roussanne is extraordinarily rare in California and cool-climate versions are rarer still. This varietal is very slow to ripen and notoriously difficult to grow, but as we’re sure you’ve noticed, we love challenges. The Vivio Vineyard lies in the path of the cool coastal fog as it enters Bennett Valley from the Petaluma wind gap. There are some days when this site is under a heavy layer of fog longer than our most coastal vineyards. This is usually the last fruit we pick every year. Red Car is proud to be one of a handful of wineries tackling this challenging grape. We do it for love and passion. This is a California original not to be missed.

Taste: Honeycomb, white flowers, Asian pear

For questions or to place an order directly, contact info@redcarwine.com or 707.829.8500 x105
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Red Car Wine Company 8400 Graton Rd Sebastopol, CA 95472 USA