Tasting Notes

Here’s The Juice: Our Favorite Reds of the Moment

by Mark Tarbell

Napa Valley is beloved and is producing the dominant wine style in America’s red wine, which has changed in nuanced ways over the past three decades. There are still many different approaches to crafting of style that ends up in the bottle. The center of everyone’s target is a dark, thick, deep red fruit-forward style with underlying soft tannin and structure.

The Paso Robles wine region in Southern California has the ability to produce wines of many different styles and with an exciting variety of grapes. It also is an area that can achieve the same lushness and depth of the great Napa reds. It’s long been the one to watch in the California wine world. Napa, watch out!

Here is a yummy sampling of what’s out there.

CAYMUS VINEYARDS CABERNET SAUVIGNON | NAPA VALLEY 2018 Rich black fruit, velvety tannins and cacao. caymus.com

QUILT CABERNET SAUVIGNON | NAPA VALLEY 2017 Blackberries, cacao, vanilla, rhubarb, chocolate brownie and oak spices. quiltwines.com

ZD WINES RESERVE CABERNET SAUVIGNON | 2015 Sweet, toasty vanilla, anise, violet, blackberry and plum. zdwines.com

MIRA STAGS LEAP NAPA, CABERNET SAUVIGNON | 2013 Plum, coffee beans, sweet cacao and anise. miranapa.com

LARKMEAD VINEYARDS FIREBELLE RED | NAPA VALLEY 2014 Red fruit, spices, clove, blackberry and a touch of sassafras. larkmead.com

ROBERT CRAIG WINERY SPRING MOUNTAIN DISTRICT CABERNET SAUVIGNON NAPA VALLEY 2014 Deep black and blue fruits, balanced oak spices and vanilla. robertcraigwine.com