It’s easy to think that not enough Santa Barbara wineries make Italian varietals when you enjoy this Carr sangio. Or, perhaps just enough make them, as sangiovese makes up less than one percent of all red-wine grapes grown in California. You’re not going to find many straw-covered bottles of chianti here.
This Carr is a perfect rainy-night wine (we’re getting those again!), rustic and tannic but with plenty of berries and cherry fruit too. So while it might bite back, it’s just a lover’s nibble. The rustic qualities help it stand up to heartier winter meals, too — braise some beef or lamb, make something stewy, and then pop a bottle and enjoy. Or try to let it cellar, if you can resist it now — it’s only going to turn velvet in a few years.
See carrwinery.com.