Carina Cellars

Carina Cellars is the result of avid wine collector with a dream meets accomplished winemaker with a vision. When attorney and businessman David Hardee and winemaker Joey Tensley met in 2002, they were quick to recognize the benefits of combining their passion. With Hardee’s talent for business, Tensley’s talent for winemaking, and a shared belief in only the best, Carina Cellars was born.

Carina Cellars’ goal is a simple one: to produce top-quality Santa Barbara County Rhone. The focus is on traditional winemaking techniques that emphasize terroir
above all else. Tensley strongly believes in working only with growers who share his philosophies on farming. That is to say, growers dedicated to canopy management, low yields, and vine balance. The resulting wines are rich in traditional varietal flavors and aromas - Viogniers full of tropical fruit and spring flowers; dark, spicy Syrahs; and intense, blackcurranty Cabernet Sauvignons. Carina Cellars will produce only 2,000 cases in 2004, but as Colman Andrews of Saveur magazine writes of Tensley, “–Tiny quantities, big talent budding here.”

The Winemaker

Joey Tensley was just 12 years old when he visited a winery in the Bordeaux region of France. It was his first exposure to the winemaking business, and the bug bit hard. Ten years later, in 1993, he found his first job in the business, supervising the bottling line and working in the cellar at Fess Parker Winery in Santa Barbara County. After only three years, he became assistant winemaker at Babcock Vineyards. Tensley credits winemaker Brian Babcock with teaching him the importance of the vineyard - that great wine comes from great grapes. It’s a philosophy to which Tensley strictly adheres today. In 1998, Tensley moved on to become assistant winemaker at Beckman Winery, where he found his passion for Rhone varietals, particularly Syrah, which would become the basis of his signature wines. In 1998, Tensley also launched his own brand, Tensley Wine Company. Under his label, Tensley makes only vineyard-designated Syrahs. Each wine is made exactly the same way in order to keep the focus on the clone and the unique characteristics of each vineyard. His wines have received high praise, such as that of West Coast Wines, which writes, “Major kudos to Joey Tensley. He has steadfastly propelled himself into the upper echelon of Syrah producers in California.” Tensley brings that same talent, passion, and attention to detail to the fine wines at Carina Cellars.

David and Helen Hardee bring an equal passion to the wine business. Having toured most of the major wine areas of the world, and having collected wines for a number of years, it was only a natural evolution to begin a new winery with such a talented wine maker as Joey Tensley. The name for their winery came from their sailboat (Carina), and on which they became engaged in English Harbor in Antigua. Being good luck, they decided that Carina Cellars would be a good fit.

Helen, having run a picture frame and import business eagerly took on the task with her good friend and renowned designer, Lucius Lamar, to design the Los Olivos Tasting Room to fit into the character and flavor of the town and the interior to bring out the label colors.

The Vineyards

Carina Cellars sources its fruit from some of the finest vineyards in Santa Barbara county, including Thompson, Colson Canyon, Watch Will, Terra Alta, Harrison, Westerly, Stolpman, Camp 4, Rodneys, Ashleys, and others which are farmed under exacting farming, producing low yield wines which, when made into wine by our wine maker, will exhibit the fruit of the varietal, as well as the terrior of the vineyard.

The Wines

Carina Cellars specializes in Rhone Valley varietals, mainly viognier and syrah, both of which can be grown under world class conditions in Santa Barbara County, and made into some of the finest wines of their type in the world.

2003 Santa Barbara County Viognier

The fruit for this wine was picked in the morning to retain cool temperatures, settled for 24 hours, then racked clean to stainless steel barrels for fermentation. Cultured yeast and malolactic bacteria were added, followed by SO2 to stop malolactic at fifty percent. 75% of the wine was aged in barrel to enhance mouth feel. The remaining 25% stayed in stainless to retain freshness. The result is a wine full of lush tropical fruit, delicate spring flowers and hints of vanilla nicely balanced by the crisp, clean acidity of the finish. It is best enjoyed over the next 2 to 4 years.

PH: 3.31
ALCOHOL: 13.8%
RELEASE DATE: May 3, 2004
ACID: .79
TOTAL CASES: 380
SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE: $18

2002 Santa Barbara County Syrah

The grapes for this spicy, warm-hearted Syrah were sourced from both cool and warm climate vineyards. The cool climate to retain fruit and acidity, the warm climate for currants and texture. The fruit was picked in the morning to retain cool temperatures, soaked for 48 hours prior to cultured yeast being added, and punched down three times a day in one and a half ton fermenters. No racking was done and no SO2 was added until one year after harvest. The wine was aged for 12 months in a mixture of 15% new and 85% neutral French oak then bottled with no fining and only light filtration. The resulting wine is deep, peppery, and bursting with ripe roasted blackberries and black currants. The finish is long, the texture velvety, and the undertones show hints of caramel, bacon, and chocolate.

PH: 3.71
ALCOHOL: 13.7%
RELEASE DATE: May 3 2004
ACIDITY: .64%
TOTAL CASES: 700
SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE: $18

2002 Colson Canyon “7%”

From the hot climate Colson Canyon vineyard, whole cluster fermented with 7% viognier from Sanford and Benedict vineyard, producing a wine that is perfumed and fragrant. The Viognier notes are backed with dark plum and complex structured tannins. The addition of Viognier is classic Cote-Rotie program; it really gives the wine lift. It is a big ripe mouthful of dark dense Syrah from one of the top Santa Barbara County vineyards.

PH 3.69
ALCOHOL 13.8%
RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2004
ACIDITY: .66%
TOTAL CASES 50
SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE: $30

Santa Barbara 2002 Thompson Vineyard Syrah

Thompson Vineyard is home to some of the most sought-after Syrah grapes in California. Planted on its own rootstock to the esteemed Estella clone, this meticulously farmed vineyard keeps its yields low (about 2.5 tons per acre). 75% of the grapes used to make this wine were destemmed by gravity then fed into 1.5 ton open top fomenters. The remaining grapes were placed in the fermenters in whole clusters. The wine was punched down three times daily for 17 days then pressed straight into neutral French barrels for one year of aging. No new oak was used on this wine thus allowing the terroir of the Thompson Vineyard to shine through.

Almost black in color, this spicy Syrah has a solid, intense texture and rich flavors of blackberry, espresso, and smoked meats. It is nicely balanced with moderate acidity, medium-full, fine-grained tannins, and a long finish on the palate. Look for alluring hints of violets, licorice, and coca on the nose. This Syrah pairs beautifully with grilled and roasted red meats, especially lamb, roasted chicken, duck, prime rib and steak.

PH: 3.69
ALCOHOL: 13.8
RELEASE DATE May 3, 2004
ACIDITY: .59
TOTAL CASES: 50
SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE: $30

2002 Carina Cellars Iconoclast

This deep, almost opaque, and yes - iconoclastic wine is a blend of 66% valley floor Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley and 34% Colson Canyon Syrah from Santa Barbara County. The Cabernet and Syrah were fermented separately then pressed into a mixture of 65% new and 35% neutral French oak. After six months, the wine was racked, blended, then returned to the barrels for an additional year of aging. It was bottled unfined and unfiltered.

What makes this wine unique is not only its unusual blending of grapes (Syrah / Cabernet Sauvignon blends are extremely rare in California) but also its particularly rich flavors, aromas and textures. In this wine, black currants and black berries mingle in the glass. In this wine, vanilla meets chocolate. Look for hints of tobacco and espresso on the nose and prepare yourself for a solid, velvety finish. Simply put, Carina Cellars’ Iconoclast is in a class by itself.

PH: 3.77
ALCOHOL: 14.0%
RELEASE DATE: SUMMER 2004
ACIDITY: .59
TOTAL CASES: 120
SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE: $60

Carina Cellars Bring this coupon to our tasting room in Los Olivos and receive a complimentary tasting for 2 people! We specialize in fine Rhðne wines such as Viognier and Syrah and you can't miss our own blend, Iconoclast. Carina Cellars (805)688-2459 2900 Grand Ave. Ste. A Los Olivos, CA 93441

How to taste our wines

Our Tasting Room in located in the center of Los Olivos, adjacent to Panino Restaurant at 2900 Grand Avenue. Tasting Room Open Daily 11-5 (6 on summer and fall weekends), and shorter hours in the winter. 805-688-2459 www.CarinaCellars.com

Getting there

Take US 101 north into the Santa Ynez Valley, exit CA 154 South, right into the
Town of Los Olivos, left at the flag pole and immediately on the left.

Or take CA 154 from Santa Barbara North, left into Los Olivos, left at the flag pole and immediately on the right.

Carina Cellars   100 Los Padres Way #3, Buellton (805) 688-2459

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Reprinted with permission from the Santa Barbara News-Press ©2002-2005