Carboniste 'Urchin' Sparkling Pinot Noir Rosé, California 2023
Carboniste was founded in 2017 by husband-and-wife team Dan and Jacqueline Person, who met at UC Davis. Dan spent time as associate winemaker at Schramsberg, one of California's leading traditional-method sparkling houses, while Jacqueline built a career making still wines across California's varied terroirs. Rather than trying to replicate Champagne, the Persons set out to build a sparkling wine identity rooted in California's own climate and fruit, hand-disgorging everything themselves at their Sonoma facility.
WINEMAKER: Dan and Jacqueline Person
FARMING: Organic practices
VARIETY: 92% Pinot Noir, 8% Chardonnay
TERROIR: California, assembled from cool-climate vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains and San Benito County. Fruit was harvested September 8–15, 2023 at 18.8–19.8° Brix.
VINIFICATION: Whole-cluster pressed and settled 1–2 days as juice for clarity and purity. Fermented in barrel with native yeast at 60–70°F for three weeks; fermentation sediment held with the wine until bottling, with no addition of sulfur dioxide.
AGING: Bottled March 29, 2024 with fresh yeast and a small amount of sugar to initiate secondary fermentation (traditional method). After four months in bottle, disgorged July 16, 2024, with a 5 g/L dosage (Extra Brut) added back before final closure under crown cap — a closure the estate favors for its reliability during extended sur-lie aging.
TASTING NOTES: Fun and fresh, with aromas of wild strawberry and guava.
FOOD PAIRINGS: A wide range of fresh foods, especially raw sea urchin (uni) — the wine's namesake pairing.
Carboniste 'Urchin' Sparkling Pinot Noir Rosé, California 2023
Carboniste was founded in 2017 by husband-and-wife team Dan and Jacqueline Person, who met at UC Davis. Dan spent time as associate winemaker at Schramsberg, one of California's leading traditional-method sparkling houses, while Jacqueline built a career making still wines across California's varied terroirs. Rather than trying to replicate Champagne, the Persons set out to build a sparkling wine identity rooted in California's own climate and fruit, hand-disgorging everything themselves at their Sonoma facility.
WINEMAKER: Dan and Jacqueline Person
FARMING: Organic practices
VARIETY: 92% Pinot Noir, 8% Chardonnay
TERROIR: California, assembled from cool-climate vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains and San Benito County. Fruit was harvested September 8–15, 2023 at 18.8–19.8° Brix.
VINIFICATION: Whole-cluster pressed and settled 1–2 days as juice for clarity and purity. Fermented in barrel with native yeast at 60–70°F for three weeks; fermentation sediment held with the wine until bottling, with no addition of sulfur dioxide.
AGING: Bottled March 29, 2024 with fresh yeast and a small amount of sugar to initiate secondary fermentation (traditional method). After four months in bottle, disgorged July 16, 2024, with a 5 g/L dosage (Extra Brut) added back before final closure under crown cap — a closure the estate favors for its reliability during extended sur-lie aging.
TASTING NOTES: Fun and fresh, with aromas of wild strawberry and guava.
FOOD PAIRINGS: A wide range of fresh foods, especially raw sea urchin (uni) — the wine's namesake pairing.