THE STORY
I don’t have many Carol Shelton wines left, but we enjoyed this one in December. The vineyard story alone makes it an interesting one – which I found on Carol Shelton’s website:
“The 130-year-old Planchon Vineyard in Oakley is the source of this interesting “Italian blend” of Barbera with its companion vines of Zinfandel and Merlot. The Barbera rows are a veritable jungle of vegetation on the perimeter of the ancient Zin vines; they thrive on their own roots in this sandy soil because the phylloxera bug that kills vines from the roots up is adverse to the grit of the sand under its shell. The blend is similar in many ways to a “SuperPiedmont,” where Bordeaux varieties (here we used Merlot) add structure and elegance to the straightforward black cherry and blackberry fruit of the Barbera grape, and the Zin and Carignane chime in with their own bright raspberry and spice notes.”
We met Carol Shelton, the Queen of Zin, many years ago at a Zinfandel Advocates and Producers event in Washington DC and have been fans ever since.
THE WINERY
From her website: “Carol Shelton has been Mastering the Zen of Zin since 1978. Focusing mostly on her favorite varietal, Carol is a guru of single vineyard Zinfandel. California has been the home world class Zin for over a century, making it the benchmark varietal of American wine culture. Carol & Mitch Mackenzie, her husband and business partner, have sought out exceptional vineyards throughout California including Dry Creek Valley, Rockpile, Russian River Valley, Mendocino, and the Cucamonga Valley of Southern California. Many of her vineyard sources are organically grown and decades old. She develops close partnerships with each grower to ensure her wines maintain and express the unique terroir of the vineyard.”
THE WINE
Today I’m presenting just this 1 wine from Carol Shelton. Winery notes come from their website. Any errors are mine and mine alone.
2021 Carol Shelton Barbera d’Oakley, Planchon Vineyard, Contra Costa AVA, 13.8% ABV, $30 (#1716)
Winery Notes: “Vibrant nose of tart black cherry and blackberry, with a kiss of green herbs and earth, black peppery spice and vanilla oak. Mouth shows some nice tart cherry and pomegranate, and mouthfeel is silky smooth, almost dangerous in how easy it is to drink. This wine would be delicious with tomato-sauced pastas, harder cheeses, and grilled things, especially portabello mushroom caps! Buon appétito!”
My Review: Garnet in color. A warm, mellow nose of red raspberry, plum, bubblegum, spice and a hint of red cherry. The palate is bursting with red, tart cherry and cranberry juiciness. This wine will wake you up! December 2025
THE TASTING ROOM
Carol Shelton has a relatively new tasting room in Santa Rosa, open for tastings 7 days a week from 11 – 4. Reserve tasting fee is $20 per person each tasting fee may be waived with purchase of one bottle. You can read more on their website!
© Decanting Monterey 2026
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