About Erika
My work is simply a combination of my imagination, the things I cherish and who I am. My travels over the past twenty years to central Mexico has been a great influence on my work. My grandparents immigrated from Mexico circa 1915 to the United States. They started their family and raised them in Montecito Ca. The cultural traditions they past down combined with my own experiences in their country shaped my ideals and are the inspiration for my work.
"I paint who and what I know, who I am, and what I imagine to be."
In Montecito the cozy stucco and red tiled groundskeeper’s house is where they lived and where my mother and her siblings were raised. A winding and tree-lined pathway connected their home to the grand estate that Felix Rubalcava (my grandfather) managed. As a child I was fortunate enough, with my 6 siblings, to often skip back and forth between the vastly different houses with free- roaming chickens, rabbits and goats. The warm smell of albondiga soup and homemade tortillas enveloped one end of the pathway, and a grand three storied staircase, secret gardens, paintings and sculptures graced the other end. The colors and textures of these two beautiful homes and the lush green and flowery walk that connects them have become the aesthetic I naturally default to in my work. Visit Erika Carter's Website
Erika's Wines
71% Pinot Noir
29% Grenache
This is one of those wines I expect people to say “Well That’s Interesting”. They may not like it, they may love it, or they may be confused and unsure what to say. To me that is true art. I was called to make poetry in a glass. This image is as “interesting” and tantalizingly intriguing as this wine.
May Release
80% Petit Verdot
10% Merlot
7% Cabernet Sauvignon
3% Cabernet Franc
Aromas of black currant, blackberry and dark plum are accented by anise, ripe fig, lilac, local wild sage and wet, gravely earth. Flavors of bold dark fruit, smoked meats, with a long finish of dried herbs, brown sugar and toasty oak. Try this wine with oak grilled steaks or rich Indian cuisine.
May Release
75% Grenache
25% Syrah
Displays powerful aromas of a reduced stew of wild plums, strawberries and blood orange rinds, accented by dried green herbs, new leather, black pepper and smoked cedar. Dense flavors of cherries and ripe strawberries are finished by milk chocolate, dark plum and smoky cedar.
May Release
75% Petit Verdot
25% Merlot
Blackberry jam and dark cherry compote is enveloped by flint, gravel and petrichor aromatics, followed by violet, burnt sage, tea leaves and cedar. Flavors of spicy dark fruit, smoked meats, dark coffee bean and earth, with a long finish of dried herbs and smokey oak.
May Release
28% Cabernet Franc
28% Cabernet Sauvignon
24% Pinot
20% Merlot
Aromatics of grilled red pepper, red raspberry, rhubarb, fig, Earth. Progresses to tertiary notes of mocha cappuccino. Herbacious finish including white pepper. Creamy mid-palate, building to a full-bodied finish. Released in 2021.
91 Points Wine Enthusiast Magazine 2022
60% Cabernet Sauvignon
20% Merlot
18% Syrah
2% Petit Verdot
Aromas of stewed tomato, Star anise, cocoa, candied plum, slate and peony. Piquant acidity with a full-bodied finish. Released in 2021.
56% Grenache. 14% Syrah. 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. 10% Cabernet Franc. 10% Merlot.
Aromatics of violet, apricot (stone fruit), honeysuckle, Red Plum. Palate: Creamy mid-palate.
56% Grenache
14% Syrah
10% Cabernet Sauvignon
10% Cabernet Franc
10% Merlot
Aromatics of violet, apricot (stone fruit), honeysuckle, Red Plum. Creamy mid-palate. Released in 2021.
This delcious and bright holiday gifting set includes a bottle each of Mi Amor Amapolas, Honey OliveOil and Lemon Balsamic.
