Fine Disregard Spenker Vineyard Carignane Mokelumne-Lodi 2021

Launching a wine brand is a taxing feat that requires patience, energy, and money, so when winemakers create a side project on top of their demanding day jobs, you can bet it is a passion-filled endeavor. The winemakers behind Fine Disregard find the drive for their personal label by working solely with California vineyards they find compelling. In crafting wines from fascinating landscapes or unique soil make-ups with storied histories, they can employ their philosophy of “less is more” winemaking with little intervention and allow the terroir to shine through the wine.

Mike Schieffer and Kara Maraden have been immersed in the Napa Valley wine work since the late 2000s, in winemaking and viticulture, respectively. Before heading to Napa in 2009, where he worked at Beaulieu Vineyards and oversaw the cellar at Keever Vineyards, Mike traveled the world’s wine regions with stints in St. Emilion in Bordeaux and Hunter Valley in Australia. He now works as the Assistant Winemaker at Turley Wine Cellars in St. Helena, where they make the Fine Disregard wines. Kara came to California in 2010 after receiving a Bachelor’s in Horticulture and a Master’s in Plant Pathology from Penn State University. Since 2010, she has managed vineyards for Far Niente, Nickel & Nickel, Clos du Val, Regusci Family, and Foley, where she is now the Director of Horticulture.

Spenker Vineyard stood out to Mike and Kara for its rich history in California grape growing, fertile sandy loam soils, and commitment to sustainable, organic practices. The Spenker family has been farming their 60 acres since 1902 with a focus on wine grapes and is in their fifth generation stewarding the vineyards. While Zinfandel is their oldest varietal, the Carignane vines were planted right after the Zinfandel in the early 1900s. The sandy loam soils result from ancient riverbed and have a good capacity for retaining moisture, allowing the Spenkers to dry-farm the head-trained Carignane vines. In addition to growing grapes, the Spenkers raise goats and have a fully operational creamery on site.

Carignane (or Kerrigan as California growers call it) is said to have originated in northern Spain, where the locals refer to it by yet another name: Cariñena or Mazuelo. However, the grape is most famously grown and vinted in the Languedoc region of France, a southwestern neighbor to the Rhône Valley, where it is the most widely planted. Young Carignane vines boast high yields and sometimes triple or quadruple the tonnage of other varietals, such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. These high yields make it a sought-after grape for blending but, unfortunately, also give 100% Carignane wines a bad rap, with the reputation as a varietal bred for quantity, not quality. Despite its shaky status on the world stage of wine, Carignane is making a comeback with small producers focused on old-vine plantings that minimize the yields, packing all the power and flavor into a few bunches of tiny berries.

The 2021 Spenker Carignane underwent native fermentation on the skins for two weeks, with daily gentle pumpovers to maximize flavor and color extraction. Bottled after fourteen months of sur lies aging in neutral French oak puncheons. For those craving red wine to start their meal, this is a delightfully refreshing and red-fruited option to accompany your appetizers. Bright acidity lifts the textured, light to medium-bodied palate and highlights the wild berry, spiced red plum, and smoked, meaty notes.