This rich, complex, natural red wine is a wonderful expression of the Pomerol Bordeaux style (one of the most prestigious wine regions on Bordeaux's right bank). But this is no French wine. Au contraire, it's from an up-and-coming winemaker organically farming the sloping Babrak Vineyard in the Santa Cruz mountains. Dark, juicy merlot is balanced by the complex perfume and structure of Cabernet Franc, resulting in a crisp, somewhat rustic wine with dreamy aromas of cherries, berries, herbs, spices and a hint of tobacco. Winemaker Jason Edward Charles considers himself a farmer first, and believes in making wine with very little intervention. The vines have been growing in limestone gravel and rock for 20 years, and were hand picked when the fruit tasted perfectly ripe. In the cellar the fruit was de-stemmed and gently pressed into neutral barrels. This 50/50 blend of Merlot and Cab Franc was co-fermented with natural yeasts, aged on the lees and racked only once before bottling un-fined and unfiltered without added sulfur. This wine is one of his very first public offerings, and he only made 32 cases, so if you like to be first to a really good thing, act fast! did you know? The label design is by award-winning visual artist Michael Cina. tip of the tongue Just like wines from Pomerol, this wine is a great match for meat and can stand up to strong cheeses. Don't drink it with anything too delicate, or the wine will overwhelm the food.