News

Check out Robb Report’s “Season’s Sipping” article. Our Carte Blanche 2010 Chardonnay made the mag’s “Top 100 Outstanding Holiday Wines” list, as noted under the full-bodied whites. Cheers! (or Happy 2014!)  View article.

Check out the recent Nov. 15 coverage on Nick in Wine Spectator, which states, “Few vintners grew up drinking classified-growth Bordeaux with dinner, but for Nicholas Allen it was a family tradition…Allen spent a decade in the real estate industry before turning to wine, launching his California label, Carte Blanche, in 2007… He leases the properties he sources, which gives him more flexibility when putting together the final blends.”

READ MORE

The September and October 2013 issues of Wine Spectator featured exciting reviews of our 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley  and the 2010 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast Nobles Ranch Vineyard:

2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley ($125), 91 points, 400 cases
“This pure red delivers ripe plum and red berry fruit, offering notes of crushed rock, loamy dried herbs and cedar. Ends with chewy tannins, showing an impressive push of flavors on the finish. Drink now through 2023.”

2010 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast Nobles Ranch Vineyard ($75), 93 points, 125 cases
“This red exhibits a stylish mix of ripe, rich cherry, raspberry, red candy and floral scents, turning creamy and layered. Ends with a long, persistent finish that echoes fruit and light oak. Drink now through 2022.”

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar recently reviewed our 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley at 93 points: “Good bright, deep ruby. Sexy crushed blackberry, blueberry, minerals, bitter chocolate and violet on the youthfully medicinal nose. The palate is dominated by medicinal black fruit (from the petit verdot component?) and bitter chocolate flavors, yet comes across as broad, sweet and tactile, with dense, chocolatey tannins giving the wine a solid underpinning for further development in bottle. An excellent showing today.”

We’re well into the summer season here in Napa, and we couldn’t have asked for a better start to the growing season.  Early warm weather this spring rendered a quick start to our vines, showing healthy shoots, prosperous flowering, and cluster set!  Low frost, minimal rain, and steady days of warm weather have positioned the 2013 vintage to be similar to the beginning of 2012.

We’ll be hosting an exclusive Carte Blanche dinner at the famed Meadowood Resort in Napa on July 17. A result of the successful St. Petersburg Wine Weekend, lot winners contributed $7500 for an event series in Napa and Sonoma. Benefiting the St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts, a multi-course dinner will be paired with Carte Blanche wines, and guests will leave with signed magnums of Carte Blanche Proprietary Red and Cabernet Sauvignon.

The Aspen Education Foundation held an exceptional “Fantasy Takes Flight” benefit on June 20. More than 100 attendees attended the aviation-themed party and sat at one long dinner table inside a private airport hangar. A four-course meal by Chef Jim Butchart was paired with our Proprietary White and Proprietary Red. The event raised awareness for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in Aspen schools.

(posted on his Crave blog, May 21, 2013)

“We paired the crudos with an amazing wine from Carte Blanche. The 2010 Chardonnay is rich and spirited and paired oh so well with the crudos. The special oak barrels used to push the wines into bliss shined bright with each bite of our dishes. This wine is made in uber small case lots and only a few select spots in town stock this juice. Look for the label at Spoon, the Mansion, Fearing’s and Cedar Social. I will more than likely do a special piece with a representative from Nicholas Allen, the winemaker, in the very near future. It is that good.”

For full article, visit: Crave

Another powerful, young wine, the 2010 Carte Blanche Cabernet Sauvignon is incredibly dense and virtually impenetrable. Blue and black fruit, grilled herbs, licorice, new leather, menthol and tobacco flow through to an incisive finish layered with graphite and crushed rocks. Today, the 2010 is cool and implosive, suggesting it needs at least another few years to come together. The addition of 10% Petit Verdot seems to give the wine some of its brooding personality. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2028.
– Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.  Antonio Galloni

Success at this year’s incredible 2013 Sarasota Forks & Corks!
Check out Carte Blanche founder Nick Allen in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

“I found this recipe in the Weber’s Big Book of Grilling. Don’t be scared by this recipe, it may seem lengthy, but I promise it’s worth it! I love to pair this with the Chardonnay, the full body and smooth texture of the chardonnay really brings the artichoke and goat cheese to the forefront of the palate.”

For the stuffing:
2 T EVOO
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flake
1 jar (7 ou) artichoke hearts
2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh gr pepper
3 ou crumbled goat cheese
3 T minced sundried tomatoes oil-packed
2 T finely chopped basil

4 large chicken breast pounded to 1/4 inch thick
EVOO
Kosher salt
Fresh Pepper

To make stuffing: in medium sauce pan combine olive oil, thyme, and red pepper flakes. Set pan over medium-high heat to warm mixture for 1 to 2 min. Drain,rinse and coarsely chop artichokes and add along with garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook for 3-4 min, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Add goat cheese, sundried tomatoes, and basil. Mix evenly to distribute the ingredients, allow to cool.

Rinse chicken under cool water, pound to 1/4 in. Place breasts down, and spread each one with a quarter of the stuffing. Fold breasts in half over stuffing and use toothpicks to skewer the sides closed. Brush or spray both sides with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Grill breasts over direct medium heat until the meat juices run clear, 8-12 minutes, turning once halfway through grilling time. Don’t forget to remove toothpicks before serving…