Ok sure I will drink wine for each day of Christmas. Hell I am practically a wine advent calendar, trying new wines for each day of the holiday.  However, not all of them are blog worthy and never fear I don't go through a bottle a day so you probably don't want to read about the same wine day after day. I did, however, discover a really interesting blend that I wanted to share with you all. It is a Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Marsanne and Viognier blend. It is the 2010 Carol Shelton Coquille Blanc!



This wine definitely seems like more of a summer wine at face value, however once I truly started to savor and analyze it, it would pair perfectly with turkey or it would be incredible with a chicken piccata. This wine has a lot of citrus and it is crisp with a mineral effervescence. There is also a hint of peach or nectarine and although it is described as having an almond flavor I personally don't pull that.  However, if you do it would also be great with Christmas cookies. It  does have a very floral perfume nose to it and it is smooth and very easy to drink. This wine is aged in French oak barrels for 10 months.

Carol Shelton is a wine maker from the Sonoma area who specializes in Zinfandels. She is actually known as the "Queen of Zin," however this particular wine uses Paso Robles grapes and well is obviously not a zin. Shelton is a well known and well awarded wine maker (winning winemaker of the year 4 times and being recognized as a pioneer woman winemaker) who as worked for countless wineries after graduating from UC Davis. She has been in the wine industry for over 30 years. I  haven't personally tried her zins, but based on the reviews I definitely will search them out in the future.

"Carol views wine making like cooking, a delicate balance between science and art or intuition. She starts with the best ingredients-exceptional grapes throughout California."

Sounds like a woman after my own heart based on that description. She primarily uses growers that produce organic fruit or specialize in sustainable viticulture practices. She is also well known for her knowledge and study of yeast and the different flavors that different yeast varieties produce.

Her wines can be purchased online at www.carolshelton.com or I purchased this bottle at the Wine Closet in Camarillo if you are local. She also has a tasting room in Santa Rosa so if you are in that area check it out and bring me back a bottle of Zin. Cheers!