By Bruce Neyers

Saturday 24th May, 2025

The 2021 Carignan from the Evangelho Vineyard – Combine History with Pleasure

Several years ago, Barbara and I were in the south of France, on a trip combining business with some vacation time. We stayed in Avignon, as that would allow us to quickly move into Italy, where the vacation part of our trip would begin. The south of France leg included visits to a few suppliers in the area. Time spent with two of them — in Corbières — confirmed that my fondness for wines made from Carignan had grown into a full-fledged love affair. Thanks to Kermit, I had regularly enjoyed the 100% Carignan bottlings made by Bruno Laboucarié at Domaine Fontsainte in Corbières. I wanted Barbara to meet the Laboucarié family, although she already knew them through their wines. Later, we stopped at Villeneuve les Corbières, a small, quiet village high above the main valley of Corbières which is home to a vast expanse of vineyards that for over a century has been the largest source of wine in France. Here we met with one of the region’s most respected producers, Maxime Magnon. His three bottlings of Corbières – each from a different block of 100-year-old vines – were brilliant. I mentally congratulated Kermit on unearthing another gem. The business part of the trip over, we headed to Italy where we met an American friend in Florence. We were enchanted with the city, especially the rooftop bar at our hotel that served 20 different Italian wines by the glass. Our friend joined us at the bar before we moved on to dinner, a short taxi drive away. The restaurant was busy, but the staff treated us as regulars, and we were seated quickly. A bottle of chilled Prosecco appeared, and not long after came a series of small dishes, the most interesting of which was a bowl of al dente fava beans, dressed in olive oil with a spicy touch of minced red pepper flakes. It was delicious, and I was pleased to see Barbara taking notes. By the time the menus arrived, we were already pretty impressed. Without opening his menu, our friend suggested the Risotto, remarking that it was one of his favorite places for this traditional Italian dish. At the same time, he cautioned us to be patient, as it took time to prepare. We agreed to both. In the meantime, we learned that he had arranged for a tasting of Carignan. I suddenly felt right at home. These bottlings of Carignan were not from the south of France, though, but from Sardinia. They were thrilling, almost as dazzling as the risotto. It was, as anticipated, a memorable evening.

Not long after our return home, Tadeo Borchardt advised us that he had met with Frank Evangelho who farmed 10 acres of Carignan in Oakley — a small town south of the Carquinez Straits near the Sacramento River Delta. The vines were around 120-years-old, and un-grafted. The yields were low, and the grapes were costly, but the owner was eager to work with us. We shared his interest, and have been buying these grapes since 2010. While half of our Carignan from the vineyard goes into our Sage Canyon Red, the balance is reserved for a single-vineyard bottling of the wine. It’s fermented with 100% stem retention, using native wild yeast. We aged it one year in 60-gallon French oak barrels, then bottled it without fining or filtration. It’s a pure example of this stunning grape variety, bright and fresh just as nature intended. The fact that the vines were planted in the 1890’s makes drinking it an adventure in American history as well. Whether it’s the admission of Idaho as the 43rd state, or enactment of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, I’m fascinated by what was going on when these were young vines. I’m equally interested in Barbara’s Risotto though. Her version of this dish that has so many interpretations never fails to remind me of that great trip to Florence and my short but inspiring road to the discovery of Carignan. Her recipe is included here, so give it a try. She tells me that it’s simple enough that even I could make it, if I’m patient. Still, I plan to stick to my job as Wine Steward and leave the cooking to the more talented.

Wild Mushroom Risotto

Ingredients

• • 1 ½ cups Arborio Rice
  • 2 slices of pancetta approximately ¼-inch thick cut into lardoons
  • 5 to 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
  • ½ cup thinly sliced onions
  • 2 cups wild mushrooms (chanterelles, morels, or porcini), cleaned, trimmed, thinly sliced.
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
  • Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Cook the pancetta until crisp. Set aside.
2. Sauté the onions in olive oil until clear in color.
3. Add the sliced mushrooms to the onions and continue to sauté them until cooked through. Set aside.
4. Heat the stock.
5. In a large pot combine the rice and olive oil under low heat until the rice is coated with the oil.
6. Slowly add the warmed chicken or vegetable stock to the rice, stirring the rice during each addition of stock. Adjust the heat as needed to combine the stock.
7. Once all the stock has been added and the rice is cooked, add the mushrooms, onions and pancetta. Heat until the mixture is hot and add salt and pepper to taste.
8. Top each serving of risotto with grated parmesan.