California Wine

Filed in archive American Wines on September 7, 2011

© tpetriep

Carrol Kemp of Graton, California-based Red Car Wines is the founder and winemaker behind the Box Car, 2009 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir wine. She said that pinot noir is the most difficult wine to get right, because the pinot noir grape is the most transparent and unforgiving of wine grapes. The vineyard and cellar techniques will always show up in the finished product, with nothing to hide behind. Common problems with the wine can include a harsh finish or a rough palate.

Kemp fell in love with wine when he was working as a film producer in Los Angeles in the late 1990s. He is best known for producing the 1997 film "The Brave", but became so obsessed with his wine hobby that he left the movie world behind. While passionate about his new career, he took small steps into the wine business because he wanted to avoid mistakes.