The Grape:
34% Mourvèdre
20% Carignane
20% Petite Sirah
13% Grenache Noir
13% Alicante Bouschet

The red wines of the Rhône Valley were the inspiration for this blend, in which Carignane and Grenache Noir bring tangy red fruit, Mourvèdre fills in with savory gaminess, Alicante Bouschet adds spicy blueberry fruit (and color!), and Petite Sirah gives peppery backbone. These century vines in Oakley in the sands on the San Joaquin delta demonstrate the true meaning of teamwork, producing a rich and spicy mouthful of deliciousness.

*Coquille is pronounced “ko-keel” and it is French for shellfish or scallop, like the scallop shells on the Shelton family coat of arms.”

The Appellation:
Central Coast, CA

The Wine:
Nose shows delightful strawberry and black cherry fruit, a bit of savory leather notes and sweet vanilla oak.
Lively in mouth but super smooth and creamy, richly textured and layered, elegant and long.

The Winemaking:
Grapes are cold-soaked for 3-days, fermented in 0.8-ton T-bins & punched down by hand twice daily, 10 days total on skins.
Cellar Storage/Aging: 15 months in oak barrels: 50% American (20% 2nd fill), 50% French (10% 2nd fill)

Average Brix at Harvest: Rou 26.5/ Vio 25.0/ GB 22.0/ Mars 19.5 Brix

Alcohol: 14.08%

Total Acidity: 0.59 gm/100ml

pH: 3.77

Cases Produced: 1268 cases (750ml bottle with cork)

The Winery:
Based out of an industrial park in the city of Santa Rosa, Carol Shelton started at UC Davis in 1974, and is still making excellent wines with passion ’til this day.  Carol has won Winemaker of the Year five times, has countless gold medals for her wines and was named one of eight Pioneer Women Winemakers of Sonoma County in 2005. She continues to win awards and accolades – her 2011 Wild Thing Zinfandel was included in the Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2014.

With many harvests under her belt and her passion for winemaking still strong, Carol Shelton has become an iconic woman winemaker. For Carol, the best is yet to come.

◉ Carol Shelton’s Website
◉ Other Wines from this producer at E-Corp