Review: 2021 Brassfield Estate Cabernet Sauvignon High Valley AVA

In 1973, Jerry Brassfield bought a sprawling cattle ranch in Clearlake Oaks, designed to be a retreat from hectic city life. Then the neighbors began planting grapes. And so by 1996, he was digging hundreds of soil pits, studying the climate patterns and learning what his land could do. The winery was established four years later, the first vines went in the following year, and the inaugural vintage, made from leased fruit, soon followed. Estate wines arrived in 2005 from vines planted beside an old volcano. That same year, High Valley won its own appellation, a rare east-to-west valley where cool ocean air lingers through the night. Today, Brassfield has 500 acres planted across nearly 5,000, leaving the rest of the land to the wildlife. And now, we are uncorking its flagship wine for the first time.

Aromas of cassis and overripe plum rise from the glass first, undercut by tones of black licorice and damp earth. On the palate, blueberry provides a lingering youthful character at first, eventually receding to a vibrant combination of blackberry, orange peel and rosemary. Dark chocolate wraps around the fruit on the lingering finish, while hints of black truffle and minerality add depth. There’s quite a bit going on here, and it somehow holds together nicely. Wines with this much layering and polish usually come affixed with a price tag demanding some sort of occasion. This one doesn’t. It is remarkably fair in cost, and is the sort of bottle you can open on a humdrum weeknight and still feel you’ve been treated to something special.

A- / $35

The post Review: 2021 Brassfield Estate Cabernet Sauvignon High Valley AVA appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider’s Guide to Good Drinking.