2023 Carol Shelton - Coquille Blanc San Luis Obispo (750ml)

Carol Shelton is one of California's most decorated winemakers, having earned San Francisco Chronicle Winemaker of the Year honors and built a four decade career centered largely on old vine Zinfandel. Her lesser known passion, though, lies in white Rhone-style blends, a genre she first explored with the original 2008 vintage of Coquille Blanc, created to mark her winery's tenth anniversary. Based in Santa Rosa and known for both her technical skill and inventive style, Shelton designed the wine as what she calls a red drinker's white, meant to offer more complexity and food versatility than a straightforward single varietal white.

Coquille Blanc is a Chateauneuf-du-Pape inspired blend of Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Viognier, and Marsanne, sourced primarily from sustainably farmed vineyards in the Paso Robles area of San Luis Obispo County. The name comes from the French word for shellfish or scallop, a nod to the scallop shell on the Shelton family coat of arms and a hint at the wine's intended pairing. Each varietal contributes its own character to the blend, from Roussanne's texture to Viognier's perfume, resulting in a wine built for layered complexity rather than the simplicity typical of many California white blends.

The wine offers an exotic nose of spicy pear, white peach, and almond paste, with a touch of honeysuckle perfume. The palate is crisp yet creamy, full bodied and round, with a long, nutty finish. It pairs beautifully with seared scallops, roast chicken in a cream sauce, or fresh Dungeness crab.