Ferrari Carano Tresor 2018

MAITRE D: Oh, monsieur, I assure you, just because it is mixed up wis all ze other things, we would not dream of giving you less than ze full amount. In fact, I will personally make sure you have a double helping. Maintenant quelque chose a boire. Something to drink, monsieur?

MR. CREOSOTE: Yeah, I'll have six bottles of Chateau Latour Forty-five...
MAITRE D: Forty-five.
MR. CREOSOTE: ...and a double Jeroboam of champagne.
MAITRE D: Bon, and the usual brown ales?
MR. CREOSOTE: Yeah. No, wait a minute. I think I can only manage six crates today.
MAITRE D: [tut tut tut tut] I hope monsieur was not overdoing it last night.
MR. CREOSOTE: Shut up!

I always overdo it a bit on Sunday, but that is the only day that I have a half day off and I can really do some damage.

If you had one wine to pick from Sonoma for "Best Bordeaux inspired Red Wine" under $50, Ferrari Carano's Tresor would have made the list almost every year for us the last four decades or since its premier release, the 1988 vintage.  Ferrari Carano’s Tresor is your classic five Bordeaux varietal blend.  This 2018 may be the best wine yet made under the Tresor label- and we can offer this to you at a price that is one of the cheapest in the country on this Most Excellent red wine from Sonoma County.

The other wines from this landmark Sonoma Winery are all worthy of being on the shelf here at Wine Watch and I remember the very beginning with this winery when the first ten vintages of Sonoma Chardonnay scored (90 Points) or higher in the Wine Spectator.  We were keeping score back then but today we can just trust that they will put something worthy in the bottle every year.

We have included all the wines from this landmark Sonoma winery as well as a selection of vintage wines from Ferrari Carano winery and all the Alexander Valley wine we have in the store on this offering.  

Tresor - A Treasure from Sonoma County

Ferrari Carano Tresor Alexander Valley 2018
Price: $49.00       Sale $39.00         
The 2018 is a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, 11% Petit Verdot, 10% Malbec and 6% Merlot.  Dense and rich bouquet of dark currant and black cherry and cassis like fruit on the nose with dark coco, cedar, graphite, tobacco spice and espresso to compliment the intense fruit.  Big and chewy on the tongue with rich berry fruit, thick and chewy with ripe round tannins, a firm hand of acidity and a host of that spice and earth notes from the nose lingering through the finish, another great offering from this landmark winery and even better on the second day!  Finish 50+  Most Excellent

A bit about Ferrari Carano Winery:

Don & Rhonda Carano bought vineyard land in Sonoma County almost fourty years ago and began making wine for fun at their home in Geyserville in the Alexander Valley.  The Caranos have had a lifelong love affair with both wine and food - both have been an integral part of their professional lives.  Don was a part owner and general manager (as well as a successful attorney) of the Eldorado Hotel-Casino in Reno, Nevada.  Don opened the casino in 1973; and he and his wife Rhonda, who is the director of advertising and public relations, built it into a very successful business.  They also went to great length to make Nevada a place for wine.  The Eldorado Wine Competition - begun in the early eighties - has long been respected as one of the best wine judgings in the country; and two of the hotel's restaurants, the Vintage and La Strada, have received the Award of Excellence for their winelists from The Wine Spectator.

The Caranos decided to approach the wine business on a grand scale - much as they had done in the hotel business.  First they brought in the talented George Bursick (formerly of McDowell Valley Vineyards) to make the wine.  Then they began construction on a beautiful 25,000 square foot facility (finally completed for its official grand opening in June of 1997) near Healdsburg in the Dry Creek Valley of Sonoma County.  It is a two story Italian-style villa (Villa Fiore) complete with bocci ball court, herb garden, and expansive, beautifully landscaped lawns.  There is also a tasting room, a demonstration kitchen (Rhonda is an accomplished chef) that focuses on Northern Italian cuisine, and a winery with lots of modern equipment and new French oak barrels.  It is the showpiece of Sonoma County and "a must visit" for those willing to stray from the beaten track.

The Caranos also wanted to make sure they had prime sources for their grapes, so they purchased about 250 acres of land in scattered locations throughout Sonoma's Dry Creek and Alexander Valleys.  In the last several years the winery has aggressively purchased additional vineyard property.  This has included almost 950 acres in an appellation that straddles Alexander Valley and Knights Valley, more land for chardonnay in Alexander Valley, more merlot vineyard in Dry Creek Valley (which will make Ferrari-Carano a major factor in the merlot business), and a premium chardonnay parcel in the prestigious Carneros region.  Ferrari-Carano now owns 1500 acres of land in Sonoma County; of that total, 550 are planted to vine.  In addition to being a first class winery, Ferrari-Carano will soon become one of Sonoma County's most prolific growers.

When the winery was officially launched in 1987, the stage had been set for success.  A beautiful new winery was in the works, prime vineyard land was poised to supply Ferrari-Carano with most of its needs, a top-flight team was on board, and the owners had already demonstrated a strong love for wine and had a great deal of prior experience in promoting it.  The winery's first release was a stunning 1985 Chardonnay (our pick for "Rookie of the Year" in 1987); it was followed shortly with an excellent 1986 Fumé Blanc and a delicious late harvest Sauvignon Blanc aptly named "Eldorado Gold" after the Carano's casino operation in Reno.  The first releases were followed by a sensational 1986 Reserve Chardonnay; the winery's first reds were a Merlot and a Cabernet from the 1986 vintage.  In 1992 the winery added a Reserve Red blend (from the '88 vintage) and a year later released its first Sangiovese/Cabernet blend called "Siena".  In 1997 Ferrari-Carano released ten different wines with a total production of approximately 100,000 cases.

Chardonnay has been the wine that has brought the most attention to Ferrari-Carano.     The winery's Reserve Chardonnays (which utilize about 25% fruit from Napa's Carneros district) can be even more complex than the regular bottlings and usually take several years longer to develop in bottle.  The Fumé Blanc is probably Ferrari-Carano's best kept secret, for the winery consistently produces one of the best in California.  From the first release with the 1986 vintage, Ferrari-Carano has skillfully blended the components from vineyard locations in Alexander Valley (contributing a lush, melon-like character), the Dry Creek Valley (giving the wine the distinct varietal herbaceousness for which Fumé Blanc is noted), and the Russian River Valley (adding the balance of crisp acidity). The 1988 Ferrari-Carano Fumé Blanc took first place out of 126 wines judged in the "Best Sauvignon Blancs of the World" competition held at the Vienna Wine Festival in Vienna, Austria in June of 1990.  This was an especially impressive achievement, for the panel of judges was comprised of twenty internationally renowned experts.  The 1990 Fumé Blanc was the top scoring Fumé Blanc for 1991 with a (93) score in the well-respected California Grapevine, and we selected this wine as "Best of the Year" in our annual selections for Best California Wines of the Year for 1992 in The Wine News.  The winery's Fumé Blanc Reserve from Dry Creek Valley has taken this varietal to new heights.  The recent 1995 was our pick for "Best of 1996" in The Wine News.  It was also the number one rated wine in a 1996 tasting of Fumé Blancs in The Wine Spectator.

Despite the acclaim surround the winery's white wines, the most exciting news at Ferrari-Carano in recent years has been the development of its red wine program.  The Cabernets have steadily improved, and several of the recent Merlots - particularly the excellent 2005 and 2006 - convince us that Ferrari-Carano will soon be regarded as well for reds as it now is for whites.  Ferrari-Carano's signature wine, the fabulous Reserve Red, seems to have gone from strength to strength since the 1989 vintage.  It is now one of the top two or three reds produced in Sonoma County and among the leading Bordeaux-styled reds produced in the State of California.  The Wine News selected the 1991 and the 1993 vintages as one of the Top Three meritage blends in their annual "Best of" edition.  The 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and this 2009 is on our end of the year "Best of 2012" list at Wine Watch.  The label on this wine is a reproduction of a painting commissioned by the Caranos.  It is called "Tramonto" and is an original oil canvas by renowned Italian artist Marco Sassone.  Tresor is master blend of all five classic Bordeaux red varieties - Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Their unique fermentation and barrel aging process melds the rich fruit and soft tannins into a real treasure - Trésor.  

Other Wines available from Ferrari Carano Winery:

2020 FERRARI CARANO CHARDONNAY RESERVE CARNEROS
Price: $33.00                   Your Price: $29.04              Quantity in Stock: 6
2019 FERRARI CARANO PINOT NOIR MIDDLERIDGE RANCH ANDERSON VALLEY
Price: $33.00                   Your Price: $29.04              Quantity in Stock: 5
2016 FERRARI CARANO TRESOR, SONOMA COUNTY, USA
Price: $49.00                   Sale Price: $39.00              Quantity in Stock: 21
2013 FERRARI CARANO SIENA RED BLEND SONOMA COUNTY
Price: $20.25                   Your Price: $17.82              Quantity in Stock: 13
2013 FERRARI CARANO MERLOT SONOMA
Price: $25.00                   Your Price: $22.00              Quantity in Stock: 6
2012 FERRARI CARANO SIENA RED BLEND SONOMA COUNTY
Price: $20.00                   Your Price: $17.60              Quantity in Stock: 9
1999 FERRARI CARANO TREMONTE MERLOT ALEXANDER VALLEY
Price: $35.00                   Sale Price: $25.00              Quantity in Stock: 1
1997 FERRARI CARANO MERLOT SONOMA
Price: $35.00                   Your Price: $30.80              Quantity in Stock: 1
1996 FERRARI CARANO RESERVE TRESOR SONOMA COUNTY
Price: $69.00     Sale Price: $49.00           Quantity in Stock: 1

 
Other wines from Alexander Valley on SALE!

 


2017 STONESTREET CHARDONNAY ESTATE ALEXANDER VALLEY
Price: $35.00                   Your Price: $30.80              Quantity in Stock: 51
I love the way the 2017 vintage is drinking right now for northern California Chardonnay.  This wine is still quite fresh and lively with a rich and complex bouquet with lemon drop candy like fruit, flinty mineral notes cinnamon and nutmeg spice.  A rich and creamy wine on the tongue with layers of ripe fruit, a firm hand of acidity and a nice hand of oak spice on the finish.  Finish 45+    Excellent +

1980 JORDAN WINERY CABERNET SAUVIGNON, ALEXANDER VALLEY, USA
Price: $189.00                 Sale Price: $140.00              Quantity in Stock: 68

The oldest wine we have in the store from Alexander Valley and in perfect condition this wine was just acquired from a private collection and we recently showed it at the wine bar.  It has a beautiful bouquet of dried herbs, currant and plum fruit still present with cigar box spice and some fresh earth showing, lovely evolution here and still quite lively.  Silky smooth tannins on the tongue with a good amount of evolution but still has nice fruit and a long layered finish, an excellent example of a fully mature Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.  Finish 45+  Excellent +

1982 RODNEY STRONG SINGLE VINEYARD ALEXANDER'S CROWN CABERNET SAUVIGNON, ALEXANDER VALLEY, USA
Price: $95.00                   Sale Price: $75.00              Quantity in Stock: 11

1989 CLOS DU BOIS MARLSTONE, ALEXANDER VALLEY, USA
Price: $120.00                 Sale Price: $100.00              Quantity in Stock: 24

1990 SILVER OAK CABERNET SAUVIGNON ALEXANDER VALLEY
Price: $195.00                 Sale Price: $150.00              Quantity in Stock: 5

1991 CLOS DU BOIS MARLSTONE, ALEXANDER VALLEY, USA
Price: $125.00                 Sale Price: $100.00              Quantity in Stock: 35

1994 SIMI CABERNET SAUVIGNON ALEXANDER VALLEY
Price: $60.00                   Sale Price: $52.60              Quantity in Stock: 1

1994 ESTANCIA MERITAGE ALEXANDER VALLEY
Price: $35.00     Your Price: $30.80          Quantity in Stock: 2

1995 ESTANCIA MERITAGE ALEXANDER VALLEY
Price: $35.00                   Your Price: $30.80              Quantity in Stock: 1

1996 ESTANCIA MERITAGE ALEXANDER VALLEY
Price: $35.00                   Your Price: $30.80              Quantity in Stock: 1

1996 GEYSER PEAK RESERVE CABERNET SAUVIGNON ALEXANDER VALLEY
Price: $60.00                   Sale Price: $49.00              Quantity in Stock: 1

1997 DELORIMIER WINERY MOSAIC MERITAGE ALEXANDER VALLEY
Price: $75.00                   Sale Price: $54.00              Quantity in Stock: 1

1999 TRENTADUE LA STORIA MERITAGE, ALEXANDER VALLEY, USA
Price: $35.00                   Your Price: $30.80              Quantity in Stock: 12

1999 GODWIN MOSS OAK VINEYARD PROPRIETARY RED ALEXANDER VALLEY
Price: $39.00                   Your Price: $34.32              Quantity in Stock: 1

2000 TRENTADUE LA STORIA ZINFANDEL ALEXANDER VALLEY
Price: $45.00     Your Price: $39.60          Quantity in Stock: 12

2003 CLOS DU BOIS MARLSTONE, ALEXANDER VALLEY, USA
Price: $79.00                   Your Price: $69.52              Quantity in Stock: 2

2007 GEYSER PEAK RESERVE ALEXANDRE MERITAGE ALEXANDER VALLEY
Price: $75.00                   Sale Price: $59.00              Quantity in Stock: 9

2009 ROTH ESTATE CABERNET SAUVIGNON ALEXANDER VALLEY MAGNUM
Price: $67.50                   Your Price: $59.40                        Quantity in Stock: 4

2009 GEYSER PEAK RESERVE ALEXANDRE MERITAGE ALEXANDER VALLEY
Price: $75.00                   Sale Price: $59.00              Quantity in Stock: 6

2010 ROTH ESTATE CABERNET SAUVIGNON ALEXANDER VALLEY MAGNUM
Price: $67.50     Your Price: $59.40          Quantity in Stock: 3

2013 JORDAN WINERY CABERNET SAUVIGNON ALEXANDER VALLEY
Price: $115.00   Sale Price: $89.00           Quantity in Stock: 4

2017 ROTH CABERNET SAUVIGNON ALEXANDER VALLEY
Price: $22.50                   Your Price: $19.80              Quantity in Stock: 2

2017 STONESTREET CABERNET SAUVIGNON ALEXANDER VALLEY
Price: $52.50                   Your Price: $46.20              Quantity in Stock: 6

2017 APERTURE CABERNET SAUVIGNON ALEXANDER VALLEY DEL RIO VINEYARD
Price: $150.00                 Your Price: $132.00              Quantity in Stock: 2

2017 APERTURE CABERNET SAUVIGNON ALEXANDER VALLEY OLIVER RANCH VINEYARD
Price: $150.00                 Your Price: $132.00              Quantity in Stock: 4

2018 THE CALLING RIO LAGO VINEYARD CABERNET SAUVIGNON, ALEXANDER VALLEY, USA
Price: $33.75     Your Price: $29.70          Quantity in Stock: 3

2018 SILVER OAK CELLARS ALEXANDER VALLEY CABERNET SAUVIGNON, CALIFORNIA, USA
Price: $93.00     Sale Price: $81.84           Quantity in Stock: 2

2019 EDGE CABERNET SAUVIGNON ALEXANDER VALLEY
Price: $30.00     Your Price: $26.40          Quantity in Stock: 3

2019 HANNA CABERNET SAUVIGNON ALEXANDER VALLEY
Price: $39.00                   Your Price: $34.32                        Quantity in Stock: 1