2023 Lorenza Old Vine Carignan Rauser Vineyard Mokelumne River 750 ml

When vines survive for a long enough time—through droughts, through floods, through prohibition—there’s only one reason: They produce outstanding wine.

That’s doubly true for small vineyards, which have never had economies of scale in their favor—and raised again when the grapes planted there are deeply unfashionable for large swaths of their lifespans.

So when the mother-daughter team of Melinda Kearney and Michèle Ouellet, aka Lorenza Wine, heard about the tiny (8-acre) Rauser Vineyard’s Carignan—planted in 1909—they knew it produced outstanding grapes.

Rauser is situated just south of the Mokelumne River, which lends its name to one of the most exciting AVAs in California, and is planted on the signature silty-sand of the area—known for imparting a silky elegance and vibrancy to its wines. For a long time, Rauser’s Carignan was one of the top sources for rosé in the area, and that’s what drew Kearney and Ouellet to the site. But the grapes were remarkable—too good to blend away in rosé— and they bottled their first vineyard-designated red from the site in the ‘23 vintage.

Harvested at moderate brix in the very early morning under a full moon on September 29th, the grapes were carefully bright back to the winery, where most of the fruit was destemmed to accentuate the silky tannins and vibrancy of the site. Melinda and Michèle used native yeasts to ferment the wine, which was then aged in neutral oak barrels until shortly before the next harvest.

The result is a wine with beautiful, airy fruit that walks the line between new- and old-world in style. It’s brilliant at the table with everything from ratatouille to salmon, which is how our friends at Ever, the Michelin-two-star in Chicago, feature it.