Plush dark cherry, sweet tobacco, blackberry compote. Crème de cassis, wild lavender, creamy black licorice. Rich and velvety bursts of blueberry preserves, dark plum, and açaí purée highlight a delightfully deep and decadent fruit core beautifully enhanced by notes of cinnamon, graphite, and crushed mint. Wafts of wisteria and fresh violet fervently emerge within waves of dense floral perfume that integrate flawlessly with aromas of vanilla, nutmeg, and fragrant baking spices. Intriguing impressions of eucalyptus gently expose a streak of mild herbal charm while underlying suggestions of gravelly soil impart subtle bits of earthiness. Wonderfully forward, concentrated, and layered on the palate while remaining luxuriously textured and approachable; exhibiting a bold yet balanced presentation that remains powerful yet not overpowering. Unabashedly full bodied with pronounced yet soft tannin supported by nicely elevated acidity. This 2016 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon by Grassini Family Vineyards is an impressively serious and mouth-filling red from Happy Canyon.

Though the Happy Canyon appellation of Santa Barbara County is one of the region's youngest growing zones, this warm climate area has quickly proven its propensity to create Bordeaux-style wines of outstanding quality. This bottling, crafted by Grassini Family Vineyards using Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from their Happy Canyon estate, showcases the wonderful richness and complexity this region is capable of producing. Crafted in a ripe yet well balanced style, this wine radiates generous and lightly jammy dark fruit enhanced by beautiful baking spices, pronounced floral overtones, and just a pinch of underlying earthiness. This manages to simultaneously come across as both complex and crowd-pleasing, and will certainly develop even more intrigue with age. Excellent.