Railsback Frères, Carignan "Cuvée Spéciale Le Carignane" Happy Canyon, Santa Ynez, California 2021

A juicy-fruited, crushable red that is best served chilled or at cellar temperature.

The 2021 was sourced from an amazing site in Santa Ynez called Tommy Town Thoroughbreds, located in the Happy Canyon AVA, and sheltered by the marine winds on the eastern fringe of the Santa Rita Hills. Planted to mostly Bordeaux varieties, the TTT vineyards are geologically diverse with serpentine, magnesium silicate, iron oxide composite, and crystalline quartz “chert” with a topsoil of clay loam that naturally reduces vigor. The few rows of Carignan at TTT produced bunches just half the size of others in the area, and the 2021 cuvée is 100% TTT.

Vinified separately in whole bunches and partial carbonic deliciousness, it was bottled after five months in neutral French oak, without fining or filtration. The 2021 is the brothers' best Carignan yet: an easy-drinking, light-bodied, fresh red that's loaded with flavors of plum, cranberry, baking spices, and sandalwood. It has a pronounced “umami” salinity from the nearby ocean air, and a luminosity from the 2021 vintage that makes it a perfect match for saucisson, charcuterie, and of course the ubiquitous burger or pizza night.