Three Wine Company Lucchesi Carignane 2013 | Generous, Dazzling, Ripe & Rare!
The last vintage of Three Wine Company Lucchesi Carignane 2013 red for the foreseeable future. While the brilliant 2013 vintage delivered a deep, ruby-hued wine with shimmers of purple. In addition, a voluptuous texture, where mouthwatering acidity meets extravagant black-fruit concentration. Generous aromas of black cherry and black raspberry jam, with hints of blueberries, dried herbs, peppercorn, mineral, and cured meat. Yet tight and structured mouthfeel. Finally with firm fleshy tannins and ripe fruit intensity yielding to hints of spice on a dazzlingly long finish.
Lucchesi Vineyard
By planting most of the vines at Lucchesi on their own rootstock, so never having been threatened by phylloxera. While there are no trellises, so every vine is unique in shape and size. So making the vineyard appear like a sculpture garden. Harvesting must be done by hand. And to pick the fruit one has to literally dive headfirst into the canopy.
So the ancient, 112-year-old Carignane vines from Alan Lucchesi’s dry-farmed vineyard were almost uprooted by the California Department of Water Resources. Almost. But demand for this voluptuous, black-fruited bottling was so high, that when we rallied you, the faithful, to write to the Water Department and urge, no, compel them to preserve this historic vineyard, you did. And WE WON and you receive Three Wine Company Lucchesi Carignane 2013.
Thirty years ago, a young Matt Cline, fresh out of UC Davis, returned to his grandfather’s ranch east of San Francisco Bay. While setting his sights on a handful of vineyards that had been planted by expats from the Boot more than a decade before the turn of the 20th century. One of his greatest finds was the Lucchesi Vineyard, exposed to cold, fierce afternoon winds off the San Pablo Bay that took the edge off the summer heat.
About the winemaker – Matt Cline
When talking to winemaker Matt Cline, it’s tough to keep the conversation focused on one specific wine. That’s because Matt knows more about —and has done more with —sites that are so deeply woven into California’s long grape-growing history. So to tell the story of a bottling out of its historical context would be all but impossible.
Explore today’s finds at Wine Access
Matt’s extravagant black-fruit reds are America’s best answer to the bargains of the southern Rhône. Try making the trip down to Oakley just to see these improbable ancient-vine plantings. Yet, you could fail to understand the history behind them. Rather, there are no signs or plaques to commemorate the hard work of the Portuguese and Italian immigrants. Most of all, these folks carved 6-inch budwood into Delhi sand on cold winter mornings creating the incredible vineyards. Enjoy their hard work in this Three Wine Company Lucchesi Carignane 2013.
