Winemaker Notes
The 2019 Vermillion sings with aromas of wild strawberry, licorice, blood orange, Earl Grey tea, black raspberry, cinnamon stick, spice box, potpourri, and rose oil. The gorgeous, silky entry opens to layers of berries, dried flowers, baking spices, and terra cotta underpinned by fine tannins and a long, sweet, and savory finish.
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2019 Vermillion Red Wine is complete, flavorful, and nicely balanced. Enjoy its aromas and flavors of ripe blackberry jam, black fruits, and licorice with Cantonese clay pot lamb stew. (Tasted: January 17, 2023, San Francisco, CA)
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Jeb Dunnuck
A kitchen sink blend (I think it's mostly Grenache) that's 80% from the Sierra Foothills and the rest from Sonoma and Napa, the ruby-hued 2019 Vermillion is a fruit-forward, incredibly charming, satisfying red offering medium-bodied aromas and flavors of spiced red fruits, sandalwood, and white and black pepper. It's beautifully balanced, has fine tannins, no hard edges, and a clean, dry finish that keeps you coming back to the glass.
The quality of wine is based on the quality of all its inputs – good vineyards, smart farming, pure and focused winemaking – ultimately attention and TLC at every step. Vermillion makes this wine from the vineyards to the bottle, working closely with grape growers from awesome little vineyard sites in Napa Valley, Sonoma County, and the Sierra Foothills. They've sought out interesting sites with great dirt, farm them with care and thought, and use traditional winemaking to craft honest wine and make an artisanal red wine blend to match any occasion, any food, any time. Vermillion is a terroir-driven, delicious, hand-crafted wine to be enjoyed any night of the week.
California is a winemaking colossus; by itself it is the fourth largest producer in the world. Red wine accounts for 56% of the total by volume, and red grapes 63% of total acres planted. In addition, a number of California red wines are heralded as being among the most prestigious and sought-after wines in the world.
While the state’s incredibly diverse geography, soils and microclimates allow for a wide array of styles, the key factor unifying California red wine is the abundance of sunshine and a long, consistent growing season. This leads to well-developed fruit marked both by impressive ripeness and balancing acidity.
The state’s most famous red wine region, of course, is Napa Valley, where Cabernet Sauvignon reigns as king. But California boasts a wealth of other impressive appellations. The much larger and climatically varied Sonoma County also produces world class California Cabernet, along with wonderful examples of California Pinot Noir and Zinfandel.
Fine versions of Cabernet and Zinfandel hail from Paso Robles as well, which is also gaining fame with Rhone varietals like Syrah and Grenache. As for Pinot Noir, terrific examples can be found from AVA’s such as Anderson Valley, Carneros, Santa Lucia Highlands and Sta. Rita Hills. Wineries in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties are making wonderful Syrahs, and the Sierra Foothill appellations are proving to be an experimental hotbed, with Italian and Spanish varietals employed to great effect.
This of course is a mere sketch. The subject of California red wine is as deep and broad as an ocean, and absolutely a joy to explore!