the wine...

The stylistic goal of angelica cellars is to produce outstanding wines with honest varietal characteristics that proudly express their place of origin.

Culling grapes from the esteemed White Hawk Vineyard in the Los Alamos Valley in Santa Barbara, California makes our job easy. The cool climate less than a marathon’s run from the Pacific creates a perfect home for even-ripening grapes with higher natural acidity. The infernally porous sandy soils push the roots of the vineyard to dig down deep for their water and, consequently, pull up incredible minerality and complexity in flavor.

Low yields, a minimal cold-soak, native fermentation, and maturation in neutral French oak encourage the wine to be what it was meant to be with little intervention.

the 2006  JUST RELEASED!

Our sophomore effort is anything but sophomoric.  We were lucky to harness the power and purity of White Hawk fruit in this slightly unruly vintage.  The result is an outsanding wine that closely resembles its older sibling but with a seductive touch.  The 2006 coquelicot is much like a beautiful woman with a pistol in her purse. And as this temptress rests in bottle, each week she brings another level of complexity, surpassing a previous tasting. She is La Femme Nikkita. She is Jessica Rabbit…  We couldn’t be more pleased as we continue our pledge to craft singular, Central Coast wines that exhibit richness and balance, and recall certain vintages of Northern Rhone appellations.

Coquelicot [KOH-klee-koh] is the French word for the wild poppy flower and also refers to the color of the wild poppy: nearly red or orange mixed with scarlet.  The significance of the wild poppy varies from Greco-Roman pagan roots depicting the poppy as an offering to the dead for eternal peaceful sleep to the more contemporary image of Dorothy crossing magical fields of poppies on her way to Oz.  In addition to the myriad recorded symbolisms for poppies, we most regard them as tokens of renaissance and new beginnings.

tasting note
"With every swirl, the glass is stained purple as layered aromatics of blackberries, cassis, and pepper overtake your immediate perimeter; primary black fruit notes signal the attack followed by a sexy mid-palate and a smooth Valrhona cocoa finish…  a vintage exhibiting great structure, minerality, and underlying acidity. Drink now through 2012." (epc 9/08) 

ageing
Although immensly enjoyable now, this wine will get better with proper cellaring. We recommend that you decant the wine for aeration if you pop the cork before the end of 2010. Also, remember that extremes in temperature are a wine’s worst enemy… make sure not to store bottles in an unfriendly environment.

pairing
This red is quite versatile as far as bold wines go because of its underlying acidity. Ideal pairings might include steak and game off the grill, braised meats, or even pizza. Stinky cheese and charcuterie are always fun, too.

...bottom line though, make sure to enjoy it with good friends.