Kivelstadt Cellars Native Son Charbono 2017
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After leaving a career in consulting in his early twenties, Jordan Kivelstadt traveled the world making wine in California, Australia, Chile and Argentina. In 2007, Jordan made 125 cases of Estate Syrah. He drew inspiration both from his winemaking experiences in the new world and his family’s passion for European cuisine, art and wine culture. Hence, the focus became exploring the product of incredible California vineyards, with a nod toward the rich history and balance of the old world wines that came before.
Since the inaugural 2007 vintage, production has grown to 3,500 cases annually. Kivelstadt Cellars strives to create wines of intrigue that maintain a fun and approachable style and challenge the status quo of conventional California wines.
Bonarda is a name given to a handful of distinct grape varieties, mainly growing in Italy and in Argentina. In Lombardy’s Oltrepò Pavese and Emilia Romagna’s Colli Piacentini zones, the grape called Bonarda is actually Croatina. In Novara, Bonarda Novarese, often blended with Spanna (Nebbiolo), is actually Uva Rara. DNA profiling shows that most of the Bonarda in Argentina is actually identical to California’s Charbono—and Charbono is actually the Douce Noire grape from Savoie. Somm Secret—Bonarda Piemontese, an aromatic variety, is the only true Bonarda. Before phylloxera, it covered 30% of Piedmontese vineyard acreage.
A large and diverse appellation within California’s North Coast AVA, Mendocino is home to several smaller sub-regions—most notably the Anderson Valley. This scenic region, with rolling hills covered in redwood forests as well as vineyards, is one of the world’s top producers of certified organically-grown grapes. Due to wide geographical and climatic variation, a vast array of wine styles can be found here.