Robert Foley Makes Charbono Wine

When we visited to Kelly and Robert Foley, he told us that one of the wines that he has a special affinity for is Charbono. I had never heard of the grape variety before, so Bob told his story. The entire reason why he entered the wine making business was the memorable 1968 Inglenook Charbono that he drank when he was a youngster (age withheld to protect the innocent). After that, Bob was hooked and when a friend of his father's urged him to get an Enology and Viticulture degree, he went to U.C. Davis and did just that. After graduating, he worked with Joe Heitz at Heitz Cellars and was the founding member of Markham. He also spent 15 years as the winemaker at Pride Mountain. He was encourage by Pride Mountain to begin his own label and the rest is history.
We tasted his 2020 Charbono. It was delicious and appealed to our palate.
Bob said that the Charbono grape comes from Savoie in eastern France. Italian immigrants brought the Charbono to California but they called it Barbera.
In the late 1930s Dr. Harold Olmo, a UC Davis geneticist, determined that what was thought to be Barbera was actually Charbono. Professor Carole Meredith of UC Davis and her research team determined by DNA testing in 1999 that "the Charbono of California is the French variety Corbeau. Corbeau is associated with the Savoie region of France. One of its synonyms is Charbonneau, and it also has been called Douce Noire.
In France and Italy the Charbono grape is a desirable addition to many blends, imparting a deep, rich color, tannins and fruit. It gives a good "middle finish" to the wines.¹
In 1989, Inglenook had 35 acres planted to Charbono. Inglenook bottled it's first Charbono in 1941. Currently, here are less than 65 acres planted to Charbono in the Napa Valley, making it a very rare varietal wine.¹
In 2022, Brian Freedman wrote, Everything You Need to Know About Charbono and listed Robert Foley's Charbono as one of the most important producers of Charbono in California, and this bottling is, vintage after vintage, one of the more consistent and exciting.²
You can be sure that we ordered a few bottles of the 2020 Charbono and are anxiously awaiting the shipment!
References:
1. Patricia Savoie, Wine Business Monthly, Charbono, May 17, 2003.
2. Brian Freedman, Food & Wine, Everything You Need to Know About Charbono, July 5, 2022.