2019 Fathom

91 points - Wine Enthusiast

"Very ripe aromas of black cherry and blackberry meet with smoke and caramelized vanilla on the nose of this bottling. Baked berry and cherry flavors ride atop a similar caramel note on the palate, where the texture is medium bodied and the acidity bright." — Matt Kettmann

The name FATHOM is about me trying to "fathom" and wrap my brain around this variety. I do believe this is Santa Barbara County’s best Bordeaux variety at this point. Petit Verdot is generally used very sparingly in blends, usually 3 - 4%. This is because in other growing regions, this variety is like a brute, and the conventional wisdom says if you use too much, it can take your beautiful Bordeaux blend and push it right off a cliff. However, here in the Santa Ynez Valley, namely Happy Canyon, we're experiencing beautifully structured, yet soft, Petit Verdot. This wine is aromatic, delivering all kinds of fruit, including blackberry and violet, to the senses. This wine is big, with an uncanny ability to age. Ten years, no problem. Probably glorious in fifteen, if not twenty.

The name FATHOM represents comprehension. It represents 25+ years of me trying to wrap my brain around the Bordeaux varieties as a group in the warmer ends of Santa Barbara County. It started out with my fascination with Cabernet Franc, then migrated through a 20-year study of Cabernet Sauvignon, and has now landed on my startling discovery of an enigmatically wonderful new grape. It’s me trying to fathom the enormous potential for Petit Verdot.