Carica Wines is a new winery started in 2005 by two friends, Charlie Dollbaum and Dick Keenan, to produce wines of extraordinary character from small lots of premium Sonoma County wine grapes. Dick has supplied the grapes, and Charlie his winemaking skills, for our first bottling –a 2005 Sauvignon Blanc.

Our winery takes its name from the hardy fig trees (botanical name, Ficus carica) that accent the source of our wine grapes, Kick Ranch vineyard. Carica’s fig leaf insignia is inspired by these trees, too. Kick Ranch vineyard is owned and planted by Dick Keenan and Kathy McNamara. Located in Sonoma’s Rincon Valley, Kick Ranch is on the western side of the northern flank of Spring Mountain, which separates Sonoma and Napa Counties. The vineyard is sited on an alluvial bench having soil with an amazing mix of volcanic and other rock that contributes a rich minerality to wines. The vineyard is laid out for perfect sun exposure and has a 20 mile vista down to the Petaluma Wind Gap, providing cool nights and foggy mornings, ideal conditions for growing premium wine grapes. Dick’s commitment to provide Carica Wines with ultra premium fruit is backed by sustainable farming practices with a focus on healthy, balanced vines, tended by one of Sonoma County’s premier vineyard managers. Kick Ranch grapes are now sought after by several other premium wineries.

The saying that great wine is made in a vineyard really only tells half the story. Charlie took his years of private wine making to a new level with Carica Wines. Winemaking’s marriage of art and science comes naturally to Charlie, who originally trained in the biological sciences at UC Davis, and then turned his decades of experience in medical research and biotech laboratory science to enology. Beginning with the 2005 crush on September 23, he has directed every step of Carica’s winemaking process.