Ferrari-Carano:
An Excellent Pairing
AT
Ferrari-Carano
Winery, in Sonoma County, Aaron Piotter
makes the red wines and Sarah Quider the whites.
Yet, their time is spent in rather different worlds. Aaron spends
much of his time at the winery's mountain facility, in the Alexander
Valley, among the oak barrels full of their aging red wines.
Sarah is often at the winery's original location in the Dry
Creek Valley among the many stainless steal tanks of white wine.
The pair will sometimes joke with each other about the different
roles they inherit. "When Aaron comes down here, it's like,
'oh no, acid,' and when I'm dealing with reds, it's 'oh no,
tannins," Sarah laughs.
Ferrari-Carano Winery in Sonoma County
While
the pair may be divided by the type of wine they make, their
backgrounds have commonality. They both grew up in Sonoma County,
so the wine industry has been around their lives for a long
time. Aaron viewed the area in an agricultural kind of way,
dividing up the county by the farmers who own the vineyard land.
He admired the families he grew up around because many of them
were part of the wineries that really started putting Sonoma
County on the map during the 70's and 80's. Thus, gravitating
towards the work was kind of second nature for Aaron. Sarah,
on the other hand, loved science. She majored in Biology and
thought she wanted to work as a marine biologist. But when her
first job involved cutting skulls out of the Pacific Rock Fish,
she started to rethink the whole idea. Soon after she quit,
Sara opened the local paper looking for another job. As fate
would have it, Ferrari-Carano was hiring. She
started out as an assistant doing the sugar sampling and worked
her way up over time.
Sarah Quider, white winemaker
Since
Ferrari-Carano is a well-established brand,
both Aaron and Sarah want to deliver wines of a consistent quality
with each vintage. Part of ensuring that quality is taking care
of their vineyards. Thus, their vineyard team has really focused
on doing right by the land, the animals, and the people, too.
Whenever possible, they'll avoid making choices which could
be harmful to nature. "They're very good at coming up with
alternatives," Aaron explains. "And it means better
wines because we have very healthy vineyards."
Aaron Piotter, red winemaker
Their vineyard manager, Steve Domenichelli,
is a forth generation farmer, so protecting and preserving the
land matter a great deal to him. Also, because the winery is
family owned, with Rhonda and Don Carano
at the core of the whole operation, they're willing to invest
in keeping the land pristine. "I've worked in a corporate
wine culture where everything is about the bottom line, and
because a wine has undersold, the board will want to cut your
labor budget in half, and we'll have to employ techniques that
go against what we want to do," Aaron points out. "Here
we don't have that issue."
Even
though they've been in their wine making roles for a while now,
Aaron and Sara aren't looking to reinvent the wheel, as it were.
Rather than coming up with new blends or planting new varietals,
they are focused on the classic Ferrari-Carano
wines. Thus, for whites, Chardonnay and Fume Blanc
will continue to be cornerstones, and on the red side of things,
wines like their Siena, their Cabernet and
their Merlot will do the same. Neither wants to change
the style of their wines because, simply put, they both really
like them. However, they always want to improve upon what they've
done and deliver better wines than they have before. Of course,
they'll need help from mother nature. As Sarah puts it, "Our
weather patterns these days have been so extreme, we've had
do the best job we can with what we get."
With
a bit of good fortune, Sonoma County will have some more favorable
weather, and when the 2011 wines are ready, they'll be some
exceptional offerings in a long line of quality from Ferrari-Carano.
And if not, there's always next year, too. Aaron and Sarah aren't
going anywhere; they love what they do too much.
Check
out our panel's reviews of Sarah's whites: 2009
Reserve Chardonnay, 2010
Bella Luce, 2010
Pinot Grigio and 2009
Tre Terre Chardonnay.
And,
of course, Aaron's reds: 2006
Petit Verdot, 2009
Siena, and 2006
Prevail.
Ferrari-Carano
Winery Label Reviews
 |
Ferrari-Carano
2009 Reserve Chardonnay
Grape(s):
Chardonnay
Winery: Ferrari-Carano
Region: Napa Valley
Year: 2009
Special Designation: Reserve
Price: 30-35
Review:
Aromas of pear, apple, and fresh fig mingle with notes
of sweet spices and floral suggestions. The pear, apple,
and fig return on the palate, along with a bit of vanilla,
nutmeg, and oak. A lush, smooth, wine with nicely integrated
oak, it's perfect for fans of classic California Chardonnay.
Rating: 91
Character: lush fruit,
mellow acidity, supple mouthfeel
Farming Certification: (none) |
 |
Ferrari-Carano
2006 Prevail
Grape(s):
Cabernet and Syrah
Winery: Ferrari-Carano
Region: Alexander Valley - Sonoma County
Year: 2006
Special Designation: Prevail
Price: 80-85
Review:
The nose offers intoxicating aromas of currants, blackberries,
and plums, rounded out by suggestions of cedar, chocolate,
and coffee. The palate is rich with dark fruit accented
by notes of cedar and a bit of oak. A supple, rich wine,
with concentrated flavors and nice structure, it's a real
treat if you prefer a more elegant red over robust and
hearty.
Rating: 93
Character: lush fruit,
rich mouthfeel, balanced tannins
Farming Certification: (none) |
 |
Ferrari-Carano
2010 Bella Luce
Grape(s):
Chardonnay, Sauvingon Blanc, Gewürztraminer,
and Pinot Blanc
Winery: Ferrari-Carano
Region: Dry Creek Valley - Sonoma County
Year: 2010
Special Designation: Bella Luce
Price: 15-20
Review:
Lovely aromas of orange blossoms, apricot, pear, peach,
sweet spice, nutty suggestions greet the senses. A sip
unfurls notes of dried apricot and peach accented by floral
notes, a bit of caramel, and a hint of citrus. A wine
that's round, lush, floral, and rich, it's quite approachable
and makes a wonderful aperitif.
Rating: 89
Character: round mouthfeel,
floral, lush fruit, balanced acidit
Farming Certification: (none) |
 |
Ferrari-Carano
2009 Siena
Grape(s):
Sangiovese, Malbec, Syrah
Winery: Ferrari-Carano
Region: Sonoma County
Year: 2009
Special Designation: Siena
Price: 20-25
Review:
Aromas of bing cherry and raspberries mingle with notes
of butterscotch, leather, sweet spices on the nose. A
sip reveals flavors of cherry, raspberry, plum, and blueberry
as well as hints of butterscotch, cinnamon, clove, and
cedar. A soft, more elegant wine that's rich with fruit,
it's very approachable and great for sipping on its own.
Rating: 90
Character: lush fruit,
lighter mouthfeel, balanced tannins
Farming Certification: (none) |
 |
Ferrari-Carano
2010 Pinot Grigio
Grape(s):
Pinot Grigio
Winery: Ferrari-Carano
Region: Sonoma County
Year: 2010
Special Designation: (none)
Price: 15-20
Review:
On the nose, aromas of honeydew, a bit of citrus, minerals,
and a few floral notes can be discovered. With a sip,
flavors of melon, lemon, a bit of peach, and green apple
unfold rounded out by notes of fresh minerals and just
a hint of white pepper.
A lively, fresh wine, it has a slight chalky character
that makes it perfect to have with a meal.
Rating: 88
Character: light fruit,
minerals, balanced acidity, supple mouthfeel
Farming Certification: (none) |
 |
Ferrari-Carano
2008 Petit Verdot
Grape(s):
Petit Verdot
Winery: Ferrari-Carano
Region: Dry Creek Valley - Sonoma County
Year: 2008
Special Designation: (none)
Price: 30-35
Review:
Rich dark fruit is accented by a touch of caramel on the
nose. Supple flavors of currants, blackberries, and blueberries
are rounded out by notes of cocoa, toasty oak, and a bit
of earth. A mouth-filling wine with solid tannins that
has dark-dense fruit but still manages to be quite balanced
and approachable. Fans of full-bodied red will enjoy this
one.
Rating: 91
Character: lush fruit,
rich mouthfeel, balanced tanninsl
Farming Certification: (none) |
 |
Ferrari-Carano
2009 Tre Terre Chardonnay
Grape(s):
Chardonnay
Winery: Ferrari-Carano
Region: Russian River Valley - Sonoma
County
Year: 2009
Special Designation: Tre Terre
Price: 25-30
Review:
Inviting aromas of apple, peach, and sweet spices, along
with a hint of lemon and oak greet you on the nose. The
peach and apple return on the palate accented by a kiss
of vanilla, with a hint of citrus. A fairly round wine
with a balanced acidity, it's a bit brighter than many
Chardonnays which have seen oak, but still quite smooth
and drinkable.
Rating: 89
Character: lush fruit,
balanced acidity, supple mouthfeel
Farming Certification: (none) |
By
Jason Barlow
| 96
— 100 |
Spectacular |
| 92
— 95 |
Outstanding |
89
— 91 |
Great |
| 85
— 88 |
Good |
81
— 84 |
Solid |
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www.ferrari-carano.com
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