Napa Valley

Cabernet Franc

Merlot

What began as a singular Cabernet Franc wine has grown into a philosophy. With our Cabernet Franc and Proprietary Red Wine, winemaker Christopher Carpenter explores the more delicate, nuanced side of Napa Valley’s powerful mountain terroir. By showcasing the graceful complexity of distinguished old-world varieties other than Cabernet Sauvignon, Caladan opens an entirely new perspective on Napa Valley’s famed mountain terroir. 

These charismatic bottlings honor the essence of four Napa Valley mountain appellations: Spring Mountain District, Howell Mountain, Diamond Mountain District, and Mount Veeder.

The Yverdon Vineyard on Spring Mountain typically provides the foundation for both our Cabernet Franc and Proprietary Red Wine. Stretching skyward up to 2,000 feet above sea level, this is the coolest of our sites, with a geology dominated by sedimentary soils. These features produce the vineyard’s signature floral and red fruit aromas and fine tannin structure that make these Napa Valley mountain wines so expressive.

With every growing season, however, winemaker Christopher Carpenter evaluates the quality of all our mountain vineyard sites and chooses the brightest star to guide the blend. He takes a similar approach in determining the dominant grape variety for the Proprietary Red; keeping its varietal composition fluid allows every vintage to shine at its best, and open a unique new perspective on our mountain terroir.


United States

California

Caladan Wines

Chris Carpenter is winemaker for many of Napa Valley’s most prestigious wineries, including Cardinale, Lokoya, La Jota Vineyard Co., Mt. Brave, Caladan, and Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard in South Australia’s McLaren Vale. Over the past two decades, Chris has earned a reputation for taming Napa Valley’s mountain tannins and creating legendary Cabernet Sauvignon. He works closely with the vineyard team to nurture and then manifest the unique character of each vineyard block in elegant wines with great depth, mountain character and historic pedigree. He believes in maximum attention in the vineyards and minimal intervention in the winery to create the purest expression of place.

Christopher Carpenter

Caladan represents the endless cycle of life, learning, and exploration. Winemaker Christopher Carpenter leads a bold new adventure into Cabernet Franc, giving an ancient grape new life through Napa Valley’s refined mountain terroir. 

Napa Valley

Caladan Wines

1 Wines from 2 Grape Varieties

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