A September virtual wine class theme was a “white from anywhere in the U.S.” While some of my good friends had already presented this Carol Shelton wine in the “Monterey South” wine class in August, I reserved the right to taste it myself. I had the great fortune to share this with my COVID Wine Pod members over Labor Day Weekend. As Rhône wine lovers, they truly appreciated this white blend from Paso Robles.
I have 2 more Carol Shelton wines to include today: the 2015 and 2017 Peaceland Vineyard Zinfandels from Sonoma County. During my August stay in DC, I spent time with my former neighbors, who served the 2015 vintage with dinner and we received the 2017 in our Spring 2021 shipment, which we opened after I got back from DC. Aren’t I lucky!
As we weigh the pros and cons of various wineries we belong to, my husband recently stated, “I hope you didn’t cancel your Carol Shelton membership – her wine is some of the best we are getting.” I don’t think there is a higher compliment.
2019 Carol Shelton Coquille Blanc White Rhône-style Blend, Paso Robles, 13.5% ABV, $26 (#549*) 40% Grenache Blanc, 25% Roussanne, 25% Viognier, 10% Marsanne
From the Club Newsletter: “This is the “best yet” vintage of Carol’s all-time favorite wine; it is a “red-drinker’s white,” a complex alternative to the more one-dimensional white varietal wines like Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. *Coquille is pronounced “ko-keel” and it is French for scallop, like the scalloped shells on the Shelton family coat of arms, and now on our sexy new label!
“Best White Rhone, Platinum Medal, 94 pts at BOTH the San Diego Int’l Wine Challenge and the Monterey Int’l Wine competition, plus 91 pts from BOTH Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast!” 1362 cases produced.
Winery Tasting Notes: “Exotic nose of spicy pears and white peaches, almond paste/marzipan,
a touch of honeysuckle perfume. Multi-dimensional (many layers), a hard-to-describe range of aromatics, intriguing, almost mysterious! In the mouth it is crisply dry yet creamy and round and full-bodied, with nice almond paste on crisp-yet-juicy pear fruit.”
My Friend’s Review: Yellow in color. More minerality on the palate than fruit and a touch acidic on the palate. Really brings the Paso/Central Coast terroir. Complex – but not robust. August 2021
My Review: Lemony in the glass. Honey and grass/hay on the nose. Minerally and lean, in a good way. The sweetness of the Viognier shines through in this blend. My French Rhône lovers liked this wine. September 2021
2015 Carol Shelton Zinfandel Peaceland Vineyard, Fountaingrove District, Sonoma County, 14.8% ABV, $36 (#550*)
About the Peaceland Vineyard: “On a mountaintop in the Mayacamas Range, Peaceland Vineyard sits quietly on 200 acres, with less than 40 acres planted to vines. On the eastern side of the Mayacamas, the vineyard has a cooling influence that allows for a longer growing season than its Napa Valley neighbors. Its higher elevation puts it above the fog but below the frost line, making it the ideal spot to grow grapes. While they grow a variety of vinifera at Peaceland Vineyards, Carol selects the Zinfandel and a tiny bit of Petite Sirah to make a single vineyard designate wine from this amazing vineyard.”
Wine Enthusiast – 90 points: “From a vineyard planted to three clones of the variety, then blended with 12% Petite Sirah, this sees 18 months in oak, a mix of new American and neutral French. It works in its bramble of wild berry and banana, the body softly layered, rich and sumptuously lush.” Virginie Boone, 09/2018
My Review: Inky, ruby in the glass. Dark berry and mocha-ish on the nose, with some barnyard notes. Very dark berry, raspberry and plum on the palate. “Grapey!” August 2021
2017 Carol Shelton Zinfandel Peaceland Vineyard, Fountaingrove District, Sonoma County, 14.8% ABV, $36 (#551*) 88% Zinfandel, 12% Petite Sirah
From the Club Newsletter: “The name of the Peaceland Vineyard cones from the translation of its owners’ German last name – Friedland. Three separate clones of Zinfandel each bring different flavor profiles, spiced up by a dollop of “Pet.” The unique “tall-head” trained vines were planted in a wild fantasia of settings – steep hillsides, amidst groves of bay and live-oak, most with stunning vistas of the city of Santa Rosa far below. It was this woodsy setting that brought about the near-demise in the Tubbs Fire of 2017, when the vineyard was partially destroyed – we thought that this 2017 would be its very LAST vintage release, but we are uber-excited to announce that it has come back from the fires and we will have a 2019 vintage and more!
“90 Pts Wine Spectator, 2 Gold Medals on brand new release.” 459 cases produced
Carol’s Tasting Notes: “Deep spicy jammy black raspberry, rich chocolatey oak, layers of loveliness! Juicy razzberry jam in mouth, bright acidity and good structure for aging. This baby packs everything that Zin should be and much more!”
My Review: Very dark, inky in the glass. Jam and a hint of smoke on the nose. I don’t have any more notes from this wine and there was none left for a retaste the next day! Carol’s newsletter indicates its aging potential is 10-20 years – clearly, we drank this one too soon! September 2021
You can buy Carol Shelton wines on her webpage and visit them in Santa Rosa. For more information, check out this link: https://www.carolshelton.com/visit/
*Refers to wines tasted while Sheltering in Place on Sharon’s personal Facebook group “Sharon’s Central Coast (Monterey) Wine Blog” – including non-Central Coast wines.
© Decanting Monterey 2023
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