Lot 524 | 2013 Paicines

Excellent color – dark, but not heavily extracted. Red/black currant and river rock aromas flesh out to reveal a wonderful cassis and raspberry kirsch core with hints of fresh herb and coffee bean. Lush on the palate, with more red and black fruit showing wonderful energy and lift with a touch of crushed rock that resounds with elegant yet chewy tannins. There’s sweeter fruit here too, but at the end of the day, this is a fat-free and beautifully balanced Cabernet, not to mention an astonishing value.

You can find the hidden gem that is the Paicines AVA just past the Pinot and Chardonnay of the Monterey Coast on the other side of the Gabilan Mountains in the gravel and pebble mélange that comprises the alluvial flows of the San Benito River. In this particular case, the vineyards are about 1,000ft up in these ancient, uplifted alluvial washes, with a good look to the ocean providing that critical diurnal swing necessary for great wine. Lot 524 is sourced from a $40/bottle Cabernet program - the family behind the source winery are third generation grape growers, first and foremost, but as anyone who has been around this business long enough can tell you: making wine is the easy part, making good wine a notch more difficult, but actually selling the wine is the hard part. Anyway, we did what we do and secured for you a beautifully oaked (35% new French oak), first-class California Cabernet at a hot price that’s basically unheard of these days, and now we’re passing the value to you!