American wine drinkers love Red Blends. Red blends represent one of the fastest-growing wine segments in the country. Many winemakers say there’s nowhere they’d rather be than at their blending table. And it shows in the quality of the red blends now on the market, which are well-balanced drinking experiences in ways that some single-varietal bottles cannot always match. We’ve curated 3 California red blends from small-artisan producers—some of which are 100 pt winemakers.
Have a wine tasting party and compare and contrast these delicious red blends in the comfort of your own home.
The Red Blend 3-pk features 1 bottle each of the following wines:
Brown Estate Chaos Theory Red Blend Napa Valley. WSI92+ Magenta core, ruby rim. Tea rose, exotic spice, kirsch liqueur, cola, cloves, traces of Italian sports car leather. Ripe, juicy, and lush with precise structure and smooth velocity/finish. 35% Merlot, 35% Petite Sirah, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Zinfandel.
Leviathan Proprietary Red Blend California by 100pt winemaker Andy Erickson from Screaming Eagle WSI93+ JS93. An intense mix of fresh boysenberry, black cherry, and plum aromatics. Its earthy elements of our rocky northern California hillsides include bay laurel, sage, cedar, and dry red earth, which speak to its origins. Supple and balanced tannins of this rich wine lead to a long savory finish. Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Petite Sirah, and Cabernet Franc.
Mending Wall Mortar & Stone Red by 100pt winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown. Wine critic Robert Parker deemed this wine sexy, and we agree. It has a seductive appeal—dark, sultry, moody in the very best ways—with good balance between earthy inputs and luscious fruit notes. The wine also has enormous aging potential. Zinfandel from high atop Atlas Peak is robust, showy mountain fruit. Vines in the historic Mountain Peak vineyard produce some of the most impressive berries we’ve seen in this varietal, nicely structured and spicy rather than super jammy. That spice component pairs beautifully with the final vintage of the estate Syrah. Once again, the venerable Palisades Vineyard Petite Sirah completes the blend, lending tannic backbone and deep, black color. 76% Zinfandel, 24% Petite Sirah.