Halter Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

Region: Paso Robles, California

Grape Varieties: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Malbec and 5% Petit Verdot

This is an exclusive offer for our New World Red Club members as Halter Ranch has been a favorite of members over the years. While I am not the biggest fan of expensive wines from Paso Robles, Kevin Sass at Halter Ranch is immensely talented and he is an exception. Kevin was the winemaker at Justin for many years, crafting their highly rated Isosceles bottlings, using grapes from the Halter Ranch vineyard. When the Baldwin family sold Justin to Pom Wonderful/Fiji Water, Kevin saw the writing on the wall and accepted an offer from the new owners at Halter Ranch to make their wines. It has been a decade now and the whole program, including their Bordeaux and Rhône examples, are firing on all cylinders.

Their Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Malbec and 5% Petit Verdot. Kevin likes the way Malbec builds structure in Cabernet which can get overripe in Paso very easily. He uses a mix of French and a little American oak, aging the wine for 18-20 months. This is big, lusty Cab with a nose of muddled fruits from blackberries and blueberries into dark cherries and some violets as well. There is a nice frame of oak on the wine that is starting to recede, providing enough frame into the long, rich finish. While this wine will age for up to five years it will be hard to resist now, especially with July 4th around the corner.