Preston Farm + Winery Carignan 2021

From the sun-baked, gravelly benches of Dry Creek Valley comes this soulful expression of Carignan. The Preston family has long been a champion of the diverse polyculture of their Healdsburg farm, where grapes share the land with olive trees, livestock, and organic vegetables. This bottling is sourced from the Vogensen parcel, home to statuesque, 80-year-old bush vines that have weathered decades to produce fruit of immense depth and character.

Hand-harvested and fermented with native yeasts, this is low-intervention winemaking at its most honest. The wine offers a vibrant tension between juicy blackcurrant, dark plum, and more savory, rustic layers of leather and sun-warmed sap. On the palate, a distinct minerality of granite and iron vibrates alongside finely-grained tannins, giving the wine a sense of energy and poise.

Light on its feet yet grounded in history, this is an ideal companion for the table. Pair it with a lamb burger with rosemary, mushroom risotto, or a simple plate of charcuterie and hard cheeses.