2015 Field Recordings, Petit Verdot, Happy Canyon, Santa Barbara County.
This fun, dark fruited and unique bottling from Andrew Jones at Field Recordings is primarily Petit Verdot 76%, but with 12% Cabernet Sauvignon and intriguingly 12% Carignan, sourced from sites within the Happy Canyon AVA, near Santa Ynez in Santa Barbara County makes for a wonderfully California only style of wine. Very dark, almost inky with a deep sense of fruit with a unique black fruit profile with the perfume, color and spice of Petite Sirah, the tannin and currant notes of the Cabernet along with a bright juiciness and crunchy character of the Carignan, making for a gripping, but mouth filling wine with black cherry, blackberry, plum and briar laced boysenberry along with dried flowers, cedar, anise and light toasty oak shadings. Field Recordings makes a real interesting set of wines with many rare varietals featuring along with more classic stuff, based in Tin City in Paso Robles, this is an under the radar winery that makes for a great sideline visit when in the area, you’ll find something for every palate here, from Chenin Blanc to this full bodied red blend, as well as a wonderful Cabernet Franc and even a 100% Tannat! I picked up this bottle, the Chenin and a Rose of Valdiguie on my recent visit to Field Recordings and it was great to catch up with Andrew Jones, winemaker, and seeing his winery, there is even more cool stuff coming out soon, I can’t wait to visit again soon.
($25 375ml-Half Bottle) 90 Points, grapelive