It’s bottled without fining or filtration. It’s one of the compelling Cabs from California every year. It’s well priced, and age-worthy.

The result is a wine that is both charming and drinkable, engaging and refreshing, and — perhaps most importantly — affordable.

My memories about that wonderful dinner with Joe Swan are still clear today, due to our ongoing relationship with him, through the vines he farmed in Forestville in the Russian River Valley.

The flavors are reminiscent of ripe cherries with a hint of wild raspberry and cedar. The finish is long and smooth, with an agreeable richness. In a cool year like 2021, it just shines. A glass of our 2021 Left Bank Red with a plate of Barbara’s White Beans and Sausage might even make you as happy as Ernie Banks made me on that cold January morning in Chicago.