Crown Point Happy Canyon Cabernet

The 2020 Relevant comes from younger vines and more loamy soils and is based on 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Malbec, and 5% each Merlot and Petit Verdot. Its deep ruby/plum hue is followed by a gorgeous bouquet of blackcurrants, mulled cherries, tobacco, chocolate, and spicy oak. Rich and medium to full-bodied, it has beautiful fruit, a great mid-palate, and velvety yet still present tannins. A gorgeous wine, it would run you twice the cost if it were from Napa.

One of my favorite estates in the Central Coast for Bordeaux variety wines is Crown Point Vineyards, which is located in the Happy Canyon region of Santa Barbara County. Proprietor Roger Bower has done an incredible job at this estate, and the wines are made by Simon Faury, with consulting and blending advice from Michel Rolland. These are ripe, concentrated, incredibly textured wines that nevertheless hold onto a terrific sense of purity, finesse, and elegance. They are gorgeous wines, and I don’t think anyone does Bordeaux varieties in the Central Coast better. - Jeb Dunnuck