2019 Aeris Carricante Centennial Mountain Vineyard California 750 ml

Carricante is the standout Italian white grape that few wine lovers know—the signature grape in Etna Bianco’s great white wines, delivering minerality and precision matched to beautiful salty fruit that place it in the pantheon of the world’s great grapes.

And Rhys—the legendary California Pinot Noir and Chardonnay producer with nearly unlimited resources—is betting big that it’s going to be the next great white grape in the Golden State, as well.

Of course, being Rhys, they were only going to produce a bottle that would perform at the grape’s absolute potential.

After years of scouring the west coast, Rhys planted Carricante on a remote ridgeline high in Sonoma that they dubbed Centennial Mountain Vineyard in 2013. It’s a sight to behold: Surrounded by forests, with grapes planted just on the upper part of the slopes overlooking a steep ravine. Farming is organic, of course, with native-yeast fermentations that take place in expensive-to-maintain, large, temperature-controlled oak casks. 

They’re ideal vessels for introducing minute amounts of oxygen during fermentation and aging—but less than in a smaller barrique-sized barrel that’s typical in California—while creating the larger-tank fermentation dynamics that occur in stainless steel vessels. The process allows them to highlight the minerality and poise of the grape while bringing in just a touch of California sunshine and richness for an electric bottle.

For a forward-looking, acclaimed wine list like Californios, the decision to feature this wine was obvious. They pour it with their acclaimed Tomato Aguachile dish—which features frozen sorbet made up of Sungold tomatoes, Early Girl tomatoes, and Espelette peppers—but also love it with anything from the sea.