Carl Fischer

9.5

My better half pulled this - I screamed NOOOOO!!!! as I heard the cork pop - we only had one bottle and I thought it would be way too early. The good news is that this Chris Carpenter made Syrah from Spring Mountain, while a baby, yes, is still absolutely delicious.

The nose offers up baking spice and vanilla. The tannins are gripping on the entry. Flavors of blackberry, brown sugar, hint of bacon (the strong savory notes that can be typical of Syrah are thankfully absent). Very balanced - it’s fruit forward without being sweet or a fruit bomb. There is decent acid but the tannins are dominating.

Give this one a little more time or a serious decant. Still excellent now. — 7 years ago

AG

10

Opened this magnum for Christmas dinner. The first La Jota vintage finished by renowned winemaker Christopher Carpenter (Cardinale, Lokoya). Large format aging beautifully. Round tannins, dark fruit, and earth. — 8 years ago

Steve Anderson

9.4

New producer to me and new for Delectable as well. Thanks to @Philip Carpenter for the tip. Solid line up across the board and probably our red wine of the day. Santa Barbara County Vintners Association Spring Festival. — 8 years ago

Spencer Spetnagel

9.0

Needs months, but it will age gracefully — 8 years ago

Ashley Braun

9.9

@Drew Carpenter @Thomas Darling — 9 years ago

Steve Anderson

9.3

Thanks @Philip Carpenter — 9 years ago

Steve Anderson

9.1

Nice pair with steaks on a Tuesday night while @Philip Carpenter was waxing poetic on the virtues or Santa Barbara County during a Twitter wine chat. Join in to #WineStudio next Tuesday at 6pm PST to connect with Dan Kessler of Kessler-Haak and with Mr Tercero himself, Larry Schaffer, at the same time on Feb 23rd. — 9 years ago

Chris Madrid

9.4

New 2016 vintage. Bottled 2 months ago and it’s already showing great potential. Smooth tannins like a smooth drive through the country side alongside your girl. Typical Cab Franc backbone like Dwayne Johnson in an action movie with smooth curves and fruit like Jennifer Lawrence in a Romantic Comedy. Bordeaux/old world style with a sweet combination of world-wide drinkability and approachability. Wow — 7 years ago

with Joshua

Carl Fischer

9.4

Wow. This is so interesting (in a good way). My first Cali Malbec and my first Mt Brave wine. I gave this about 2 hours in a decanter and it’s just starting to open up. I’m getting a lot of red fruit and highly aromatic floral on the nose. The palate is lighter than I would have thought from the nose - it’s more medium bodied and has a lot of acid. The tannins are present but soft. Great fruitful and bright finish. This is super cool and I dig it. Chris Carpenter does it again. — 7 years ago

Philip Carpenter

Founder/Educator santabarbarawinetalk.com

10

The Carpenter house white — 8 years ago

Michael Meyer

9.2

Exceeded my expectations. Likely will continue to improve. Thanks to @Philip Carpenter for the hookup on this. — 8 years ago

romo

9.4

@Philip Carpenter — 9 years ago

S.B

9.5

Portrayed characters of intense dark fruits, licorice and coffee. Strong and masculine. Chris Carpenter truly know what he's creating. — 9 years ago

Will Burkholder

Owner Fine Wine Dump

9.5

2012 LJ Franc - simply delicious. Kudos once to C Carpenter. — 9 years ago

Lindsey King

9.4

Raspberry compote, creme de violette, a handful of wet soil with crushed twigs and leaves. Balance and structure like the work of a romantic carpenter building his dream house. Like a semi-lucid dream where a warm, hazy sky is breaking like a glow stick into twilight hues and you’re on a beautiful old double decker steam train with a rooftop standing area. You’re whizzing by vibrant green fields of gigantic flowers, their petals flapping slowly in the wind like sheets drying on a line. Old oak trees growing fruits in colours that don’t exist yet. Glowing fireflies just above your head like painterly orange astronomy. In the dream it’s New Years Eve but in the dream everyday is New Years Eve and you could very well spend everyday alone with your dream power. — 7 years ago

Erik Ackerman

9.4

First vintage of this wine from Winemaker Chris Carpenter and it didn't disappoint. Yverdon is a classic Napa unrated for those of us who remember the old Yverdon label and this wine pays homage to the roots of the vineyard. — 8 years ago

with Mandi

Cody Short

9.5

3 hr decant and this was drinking beautifully. Chris Carpenter at his best and maybe my favorite vintage of Cardinale — 8 years ago

Michael Meyer

9.3

Money. Killer. Rad. Channeling my inner @Philip Carpenter who also totally loves these wines. Jaffurs is the poster child of consistency in winemaking, and Verna's is always a powerful tapestry. Super opaque, almost black purple, very ripe/rich black &blue fruits, some lavender, and roasted meats. Pedal to the metal, jump on board and enjoy the ride (now channeling my inner @Bill Bender!). — 8 years ago

Matias Chiota

9.5

Simply outstanding. Chris carpenter knocking out of the park! — 9 years ago

D Dean Williams

9.5

Same vintage as the Carpenter - but this one is a stunner! Superbly balanced and some powerful blackberry back notes. This was great with our 2.5"" thick pan seared beef fillets. Sorry to see the bottle empty. Great wine. — 9 years ago