What the Experts are Saying

"The most attractive offering I tasted from Carina Cellars is their 2005 Syrah 7 Percent, which exhibits lovely floral, black currant, cherry and earth notes. In keeping with the vintage character, it possesses tart acidity as well as medium body, and a heady moderately long finish. It can be consumed over the next 4-5 years. "

Robert Parker Jr., Wine Advocate Issue 172 August 31, 2007

Wine Country This Week made Carina Cellars its Featured Winery:
"Quirky, colorful and sure to get your attention, the Carina Cellars tasting notes are worth a few extra minutes of perusing as you linger at the winery’s downtown Los Olivos tasting bar."
Read the entire article here.

i-winereview liked our Syrah wines:
"Winemaker, Joey Tensley has produced a first class Syrah that is Cornas-like in style, displaying rich aromas of black fruit, smoked meats and leather. On the palate, this delicious offering reveals lovely blackberry fruit flavors, excellent balance and a long pleasant finish. (2002 Syrah, Santa Barbara County, 89 Points)
The 2004 Syrah Westerly Vineyard is dark ruby and aromatic and displays tight and tart red and black cherry fruit (90 Points).

Hear that Buzz? The website folks from RedWineBuzz.com tasted our wines recently, noting “Carina cellars reds are typified by juicy fruit that stops short of gobs of jammy extraction, staking their claim in the realm of well-balanced and composed, structured wine.” Read the entire article and their reviews of our 2005 Clairvoyant and Grenache.

Wine Library TV’s Gary Vaynerchuk tastes our 2005 Seven Percent live and declares “I’m feeling the love Carina…we can be friends”. Watch and listen to the vidcast here

Robert Parker Jr. recently visited the Central Coast, focusing his tastings on Rhône varietals. We are very pleased that he scored three of our Syrahs with high marks – an 88 for our Santa Barbara County blend and 90 and 91 respectively for the Westerly vineyard designated Syrah and our “7 Percent” cuvee. Click here to read the entire review.

Wine critic Dennis Schaefer came to town. As an anonymous taster, he sipped through ten of our wines.

Noting the partnership of Joey Tensley and David Hardee, Schaefer observed: “In my mind, this is a “can’t miss” proposition, and the proof is in the bottle.” Read the entire review here.

Carina Cellars owner David Hardee was profiled in Duke University's Law Magazine. "The trick is to figure out a way to use your training in the law to enhance your ability to pursue your dreams, your passions." "I also get to make, drink, and share with friends and with the world, a wonderful wine". Read the whole profile here.

We were delighted to have columnist Judy Willis from the Montecito Journal stop by at the Santa Barbara Futures tasting:

At the Carina Cellars booth, Paolo Barbier, wine director at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas and one of the only 76 Master Sommeliers in the United States, told me that he'd purchased some of David Hardee's Carina Cellars wines for his hotel's menu. Barbier's praise was lavish for the 2004 Carina Cellars Iconoclast made from 65% Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley's prized Howell Mountain grapes and 35% Syrah. He noted he loves 'the blackberry and cassis flavors balanced with ideal acid to keep the excellent fruit vibrant.'

Doug Margerum picked the 2005 7% for the Santa Barbara Futures Program:

"Simply called 7% now, this is always one of my favorite wines from Carina and it has become one of the most sought after wines from the Carina portfolio. Joey wisely extracts just the right tone as he co-ferments the brooding, dark, savage Colson Canyon old vines Syrah fruit from the Santa Maria Valley with 7% Viognier from Parker’s Rodney’s vineyard in Santa Ynez. Classic Côte-Rôtie program that should be emulated by more wineries in the area as the Viognier enhances the often-monochromatic flavors of Syrah whilst providing lifted perfumed aromas that marry beautifully with oak. It is a very chocolaty, rich, fruity bombshell that is one of the best Syrahs in the entire offering."

Jody and CT recently hit the front page of the Santa Barbara News Press!
See why Los Olivos is the hot spot in Santa Barbara by clicking here.

Carina Cellars 2004 Santa Barbara County Viognier voted one of the San Francisco Chronicles "Top Picks" for whites from Santa Barbara County.
Click here to read the full article.

2003 Syrah, Westerly Vineyard scores 90 points from The Wine Advocate
Issue number 159 of Robert Parker Jr’s The Wine Advocate heaped praise on our 2003 Syrah Westerly Vineyard giving it 90 points and stating “Its beautiful perfume of blueberries, cassis, spring flowers, licorice, and lead pencil is followed by a medium-bodied Syrah with excellent fruit and texture…”

Mr. Parker also reviewed the 2004 Viognier Santa Barbara County stating “The 2004 Viognier, which comes from the Stolpman and Rodney’s vineyards, exhibits plenty of crisp lemon zest, honeysuckle, peach, and candied currant notes.” Both of these wines are currently for sale through the tasting room, although with their limited production they won’t last long!

Schaeffer on Wine Dennis Shaeffer of the Santa Barbara News Press recently lauded our 2004 Viognier, Stolpman Vineyard in his article on regional white wines to enjoy in the summer months. Thanks, Dennis!

Carina Cellars Syrah, Santa Barbara County 2003 – selected as wine of the day!
e-Robert Parker, October 24, 2004
The dense ruby/purple-colored 2002 Syrah offers scents of briery blackberry fruit, medium to full body, and underbrush/vegetal characteristics reminiscent of a northern Rhone Crozes-Hermitage. Drink it over the next 3-4 years.

Wine Cask Futures, 2004
"I went absolutely bonkers for this wine. Quite a few winemakers made a Colson Canyon in 2002, but none had anything close to the aromatics that this wine does. As it turns out, it was the addition of 7% Viognier provided by Morgan Clendenen's block at Sanford & Benedict that made the difference. The addition of Viognier is a classic Côte-Rôtie program and it really gives the wine lift and perfume. In the mouth there is a fresh edge to the wine that complements the big ripe mouthful of dark dense Syrah. This is a really neat wine and one that I will have in my cellar."