Exit West Red Blend (2021)*

Just 600 cases were produced.

94 - Wine Enthusiast   -  This wine is deep, lively, with aromas of mulberry, dark plum, citrus peel, star anise, and notes of violets on the nose. The flavors on the palate are blackberry, cassis, grapefruit peel, vanilla cream, bittersweet chocolate, cinnamon, and a long spiced finish. Decant and Enjoy. 

This is the debut vintage of the Exit West Red Blend, and it's not only a delicious wine, it's made by one of our country's most "well-rounded" vignerons. Patrick Sullivan has worked in the cellars at Peter Michael, and he's enjoyed winemaking stints at top estates like Lewis Cellars, Paul Hobbs, and Rudd. That's quite the resume!

At Exit West, he focuses on grapes grown in the Red Hills AVA, just north of the Napa Valley in the Mayacamas Mountain range. In the wonderful 2021 vintage, he put those grapes and his talents to great use, producing a powerful, hearty, and stylish red wine that drinks way above its humble price point. I have a feeling we're going to be hearing a lot more about this California Red Blend in the coming years.

• The blend is 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Petite Sirah, 16% Cabernet Franc, 14% Merlot, and 7% Petit Verdot. Aged in high-quality French oak (60% new) for 22 months, this is "treated" like a much more expensive wine.

• Dark, concentrated, and silky, it offers up rich and heady notes of blackberry pie, warm blueberry, huckleberry, sandalwood, chocolate, mint, and dried thyme. The finish is lengthy and the tannins fine-grained.

What do I want to eat with this? Steak, a big, thick-cut steak is exactly what it calls for, but the silky tannins also make this a perfect "cocktail red" for those who like their wines "large and in-charge."