"It should be like the old West where you had to check your guns when you walk into a bar," says Tony Cartlidge with a laugh. The tall Brit is winemaker of Cartlidge & Browne Winery now located in the Sonoma county town of Santa Rosa, California and he and I are talking about the abundance of cell phones in wine bars.

We both grimace at the thought of two people sitting at a table sharing a lovely bottle of wine, but forgoing the conversation to do social media instead. Somehow we both think a glass of wine calls for face-to-face time not face-to-Facebook.

Cartlidge is in Indianapolis for a fast and furious two-day visit to local wine shops and restaurants tasting his latest releases. Cartlidge and winery partner Glenn Browne first started producing wine in Sonoma County in 1980. From the get-go their attitude was to make tasty wines at affordable prices. But, back then American wine consumers believed that in order for wine to taste good it had to be from France and cost a lot of money.

So most California producers were using French names like Chablis and Burgundy to break into the market. And many were putting high price tags on bottles. Not Cartlidge and Browne. They kept making Old World-styled wines, but selling them at what today we now call new world prices. Though consumers weren't quite getting it, up and coming culinarians including Alice Waters of Chez Panisse were, and Cartlidge & Brown Chardonnay was a staple on her menu. Then in 1996 wine critic Robert Parker got his hands on a bottle and wrote a column featuring Cartlidge & Browne wines as a glowing example of how a wine could taste fantastic and not cost a fortune. Despite the accolades and sudden popularity with the wine drinking public, Cartlidge & Browne didn't change its marketing plan. In fact they worked harder to source great grapes from all over California to make classic yet consumer affordable wines.

When the Two Buck Chuck era hit it was suddenly OK to drink "cheap" wine on a daily basis. Many vintners took advantage of the grape glut and made a lot of money. However the glut is gone and recent years of erratic weather are causing many wineries to produce fewer bottles and charge more. Not C & B. "We still have 25-year contracts with growers so we can buy from all over California and not have to increase prices," says Cartlidge.

As if the C& B label wasn't affordable enough they also offer the LOT 205 line of wines which retail for $11 or less.

The C&B wines are truly French in style. No surprise since I asked Cartlidge if he was shipwrecked on an island and could have a case of wine float ashore, what would it be? "Perhaps a nice Fleurie," he says with a smile.

"And no cell phones."

You can find the Cartlidge & Brown and LOT 205 wines throughout Indianapolis. Here are tasting notes from a few of my favorites:

Cartlidge & Brown Pinot Noir: The Pinot Noir offers up red fruit and hint of truffle and spice. Full bodied with lingering finish this would make the perfect bottle for Thanksgiving turkey or a nice piece of grilled salmon.

Cartlidge & Brown Merlot: The merlot has aromas and flavors of cola, cherry, plum with a nice finishing hint of cocoa. Bigger, bolder and more intense than most California merlots this wine packs a punch and would be delicious with prime rib or pork tenderloin.

Cartlidge & Brown Chardonnay: Very Burgundian in style with aromas and flavors of d'anjou pear, yellow delicious apple and just a touch of caramel, vanilla, oak. Try it with roast chicken.

LOT 205 Chardonnay: BIG tropical fruit notes of banana, pineapple, mango with notes of butterscotch and toasty oak in a creamy finish.