+Get rid of glass and you can jam much more wine into the same amount of space.

CalNaturale uses Tetra Pak cartons to put one liter of wine into a compact and sturdy package — essentially a boxed wine, just in a much smaller box than the usual 3-liter container.

For good measure, both of  the wines out of CalNaturale are made with organic grapes. Here’s how they taste.

2009 CalNaturale Chardonnay hails from Mendocino and is quite drinkable, if plain. Modestly oaked, it offers some unusual character, including banana and tart guava notes atop a pear-like core. A little metallic on the finish. B- / $13 (one-liter package)

2008 CalNaturale Cabernet Sauvignon, as many inexpensive cabs go, is not nearly as easygoing. A very young and brash cab, this Paso Robles wine needs far more time in wood to soften its strawberry-flavored jamminess, which makes it so fruity it almost comes across like children’s punch. D / $13 (one-liter package)

Both are also available in 500ml packages.

2009 CalNaturale Chardonnay

$13

7

Rating

7.0/10