Winemaker Notes
Fresh and vibrant with bright aromatics, savory tannins and punchy dark fruit, and remains light enough on the palate to pair gracefully with a wide variety of foods at your table. Further aging is not required to enjoy this youthful wine but, if desired, it has the structure and framework to evolve with further cellaring.
Blend: 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 California Red Wine is a blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Cabernet Franc and 21% Merlot from vines across Sonoma County, and the wine was matured for 10 months in concrete and used barriques. “It’s Cabernet for drinking, not putting on a pedestal,” cofounder Duncan Arnot Meyers says. It has bright scents of red and black cherries, pipe tobacco, savory herbs and violet. The medium-bodied palate offers concentrated, transparent flavors structured by chalky tannins and bright acidity, and it has a long, perfumed finish.
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Vinous
The 2022 Red Wine California is a very pleasant, fruity wine, especially in this vintage. About 50% of the wine was aged in cement. That, along with early bottling, preserves forward fruit and a good bit of freshness. Sweet floral and spice notes lift the mid-palate and finish.
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!