Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 (750ml)

Alexander Valley sits at the warmer end of Sonoma County, and its Cabernet Sauvignon tends toward supple fruit rather than sheer muscle. This 2020 from Jordan Vineyard and Winery follows that thread, a still red built more for silk than for heft, with the structure kept in check so the wine drinks graciously.

The aromatics arrive first and arrive loudly: cassis, cacao and anise on the opening sniff, then a lift of rosemary and thyme. On the palate the texture is nearly juice-like, black and red fruits pushing forward before an unexpected note of Earl Grey tea settles across the finish. There is a savory dimension emerging too, dried herbs, flower petals, earth and fresh mint, with juicy cherry underneath and tannins that stay fine and polished. The fruit is starting to cede a little ground to those tertiary notes, but it remains fresh and lively, at a stage where you can pour it now or let it keep evolving.