A New Jersey native, Roth got interested in wine while in school in North Carolina, and when he came West, he got connected with a handful of Napa luminaries, including Nils Venge (Saddleback) and Mike Grgich (Grgich Hills). At Grgich Hills, he became entranced with a leaner, fresher style of wine and with biodynamic farming, although that didn’t preclude him leaving to study winemaking at Fresno State. He ended up at Demetria, a biodynamic property in Los Olivos, then at Martian Ranch, another nearby biodynamic estate, where he made fun, affordable wines like Albarino and Grenache rosé. Two years later, he left to work on his own wine, Lo-Fi, with longtime friend Craig Winchester. Lo-Fi describes his style in the cellar: indigenous yeast, little or no sulfur dioxide, old-fashioned techniques. But Roth is also a fastidious winemaker and a stickler for organics, which helps keep the wines clean and approachable.
COQUELICOT (ko-klee-ko) is the name “en Français” of the striking red poppy flower that graces the French countryside, as well as all the labels on our wines. Our 58 acre vineyard is an organically farmed property in the heart of the Santa Ynez Valley. Sustainable farming and gentle, meticulous winemaking techniques converge to produce hand made, limited production wines that are a true celebration of life.
At Coquelicot vineyard, sustainability is a guiding principle of business for them. They aim to be responsible towards nature, not just because it’s the correct thing to do but also because it’s the only way to make natural, organic wines. They are deeply committed to producing the best natural, organic wines through sustainable winemaking and thoughtful farming that goes beyond protecting our environment. Our mission is to enhance our Coquelicot vineyard and enrich the lives of the community dependent on our businesses through the sustainable production of Coquelicot wines. The wine is bursting at the seams with a variety of different cherries. Slight dusty old-world vibe combined with a new world raspberry fruit. PS, reminder “Carbonic” refers to a light style of fermentation versus it being carbonated.
