Erggelet Brothers, Carignane
Erggelet Brothers, Carignane

Erggelet Brothers, Carignane

California / Contra Costa County, United States 2018 (750mL)
Regular price$27.00
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Erggelet Brothers, Carignane

Julian and Sebastian Erggelet grew up in southern Germany, “sipping leftover Riesling out of Grandfather Erggelet’s goblet as kids.” They originally pursued different career paths but gravitated towards wine: Sebastian went back to school to study viticulture and enology and the brothers eventually worked harvests and did winery stages in France, Switzerland, Australia and Spain. They moved to California in 2014 and did stints at wineries included Ovid and Martin Estate before venturing out on their own in 2015.


Heirloom vineyards in Contra Costa County (including one farmed by Julian’s wife’s family) are the singular focus of the Erggelet brothers, who are laser-focused on organic cultivation. The Carignane for this bottling hails from the Del Barba Vineyard in Oakley, a site that’s been farmed by the same family since the early 1900s. The vines are very old and mostly bush-trained, plunging their roots into deep, well-drained Delhi sand. It’s a hot, dry site with an almost beach-like appearance between rows.


Despite the hot, dry climate, the Erggelet style is characterized by energy and aromatic lift over inky concentration/high alcohol. The Carignane was harvested in early September 2018 and fermented on native yeasts over 19 days. It was aged in neutral Bordeaux barrels for eight months, and later bottled unfined and unfiltered. Compared to most California Carignane you are likely to encounter, this one is a brighter, more fruit-driven style without heavy extract.


In the glass, the wine is a saturated ruby-purple, with aromas of black and red fruits such as blackberry, plum, and cherry, layered with scents of lilac, lavender, dark chocolate, herbs, and dusty earth. Medium-plus in body, with lots of freshness lending juicy, tangy crunch. It is a gutsy, wild-berry kind of style with no perceptible oak influence. Pair with kabobs or other grilled meats/vegetables.

Erggelet Brothers, Carignane
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United States

Washington

Columbia Valley

Like many Washington wines, the “Columbia Valley” indication only tells part of the story: Columbia Valley covers a huge swath of Central
Washington, within which are a wide array of smaller AVAs (appellations).

Oregon

Willamette Valley

Oregon’s Willamette Valley has become an elite winegrowing zone in record time. Pioneering vintner David Lett, of The Eyrie Vineyard, planted the first Pinot Noir in the region in 1965, soon to be followed by a cadre of forward-thinking growers who (correctly) saw their wines as America’s answer to French
Burgundies. Today, the Willamette
Valley is indeed compared favorably to Burgundy, Pinot Noir’s spiritual home. And while Pinot Noir accounts for 64% of Oregon’s vineyard plantings, there are cool-climate whites that must not be missed.

California

Santa Barbara

Among the unique features of Santa Barbara County appellations like Ballard Canyon (a sub-zone of the Santa Ynez Valley AVA), is that it has a cool, Pacific-influenced climate juxtaposed with the intense luminosity of a southerly
latitude (the 34th parallel). Ballard Canyon has a more north-south orientation compared to most Santa Barbara AVAs, with soils of sandy
clay/loam and limestone.

California

Paso Robles

Situated at an elevation of 1,600 feet, it is rooted in soils of sandy loam and falls within the Highlands District of the Paso Robles AVA.

New York

North Fork

Wine growers and producers on Long Island’s North Fork have traditionally compared their terroir to that of Bordeaux and have focused on French varieties such as Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

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