Tart black currant, loose-leaf tobacco, young blackberry. Damson plum, smooth graphite, dark chocolate. Black licorice, dark cherry, and cassis elegantly converge with anise, cigar box, and espresso in a bewitchingly layered and multidimensional display. Sage, dried mint, and eucalyptus arise to impart captivating herbal complexity while violet concentrate and plucked rose petal reveal a charming floral overlay. Notes of black pepper and smoked sea salt highlight an intriguing bouquet of developing spice that intertwines seamlessly with oak tones of cinnamon, vanilla, and toffee. Persistent impressions of forest floor and cold charcoal endure throughout the serious and structured attack providing compelling reflections of terroir. Firm, regal, and powerful on the palate; exhibiting great intensity and tension while remaining quite classic and restrained. Full bodied with high tannin and beautifully elevated acidity. This 2013 Estate "San Andreas Red" by Black Ridge Vineyards is an engaging and expressive Bordeaux blend from the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Perched high above the Silicon Valley and still barely 20 miles from the coast, the eastern edges of the Santa Cruz Mountains have proven to produce some of the greatest expressions of Bordeaux grapes in California and beyond. This bottling, crafted by Black Ridge Vineyards using a blend of Cab Sauv/Merlot/Cab Franc/Malbec sourced from their picturesque estate just outside Los Gatos, magnificently showcases the power and pedigree this unique mountain region is capable of. While it possesses plenty of ripe and concentrated fruit this wine's bright acidity keeps things surprisingly fresh and nervy in lieu of coming across as overly rich or jammy. Now at 7 years of age its complex spiced, smokey, and herbal notes are on full display and promise to continue to evolve and develop for years to come. This is an outstanding expression of eastern Santa Cruz Mountain terroir by a fantastic estate producer.