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our passion
Arquiles Carlos Caruncho
I am an ardent believer that all wines need to be a medium for great experiences. While—and after—drinking the first sips of a great wine, one’s body needs to feel positively different, lighter. One’s awareness is enhanced and in harmony with nature. Loved and cared for vineyards can produce excellent grapes. This combined with zero interference in the cellar will give marvelous results. Hence, my philosophy of zero intervention during the process. ‘Arquils’ wines are designed to be this way.
Arquils is short for Arquiles (Achilles), my first name. And, obviously, my Achilles heel is the grape juice beautifully fermented and aged. Having said this, I owe you a short introduction into who am I, why and how. My last name, Caruncho, is from the Latin language, ‘Carum’ means, among other things, loved or lover of, whereas ‘Cho’ in Chinese means Autumn harvest time! - Carlos Caruncho
“Beautiful, sweet bramble fruit, black currant, plum, wild strawberry, coffee, black pepper, liquorice, nutmeg, cardamom, sweet autumn spice, beautiful length’.”
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Our METHODS
ARQUILS WINES
Presently I am managing three non-certified organic sites comprised of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah. I also buy grapes from our Nevada County grape growers, whose vineyards are non-certified organic as well and looked after with the utmost care. Leaf pulling is done manually and all fruit is harvested by hand.
METHODS
At harvest, all fruit is processed in the winery. The freshly arrived white grapes are de-stemmed, skin contact for 24 hours (or up to 21 days, depending on the type of wine being made), pressed (no pumps), and placed into neutral French Oak barrels or Stainless-steel fermenter for up to 20 months. Fermentation for all wines happens ‘naturally. The red grapes are de-stemmed or whole clusters stomped, macerated for up to 21 days, pressed (no pumps), then aged in neutral French Oak barrels for up to 26 months. No racking, no filtering, no fining. Very low intervention. Zero sulfur added at any point.
“There’s wine. Then there’s natural wine. Then there’s ‘zero-zero’ wine..... Carlos Caruncho, a Nevada City language teacher moonlighting as a winemaker under the Arquils label, makes a classic-tasting Cabernet Sauvignon blend called Maestro”
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featured releases
“The Sauvignon Blanc Caruncho sent me is one of the more exciting examples I’ve tasted from California in some time. It’s full of electricity and has a wonderful personality. Find some if you can. This will be a producer to watch.”
To see a full selection of our wines offered, visit the Shop Our Wines page.
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inquiries
To Carlos…. Keep on with your interest for another way of approaching farming and wines. A real wine should be obtained with zero work in the cellar!
—Nicols Joly, author of Sky to Earth Growing & Appreciating Biodynamic Wine