2020 Verdad Tempranillo Santa Ynez Valley 6pk 6x750ml

Louisa Sawyer Lindquist made her name doing the hard thing first — she planted Spanish varietals on the Central Coast when nobody else would, and bottled California's first commercial Albarino back in 2000. Tempranillo is what she knows, and this bottling shows exactly why.

The 2020 is the first Verdad Tempranillo made from two different vineyards: 64% from Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard in Edna Valley, 36% from Martian Vineyard in Alisos Canyon. A cool, wet spring gave way to foggy summer mornings and warm afternoons — then high pressure moved in by Labor Day and pushed the fruit toward full ripeness. The grapes were fermented with 25% whole clusters, hand-punched down to keep tannin levels in check, then aged 22 months in two-thirds new and one-third one-year-old Ermitage barrels.

The wine shows bright cherry red with tart cherry aromas leading into flavors of cherries, plums, and ripe raspberries. Cocoa, mint, and licorice layer underneath. Spicy, toasty oak frames a long finish — silky texture, good structure, lively fruit.

This is $33 Tempranillo that drinks like the $50 bottles from Ribera del Duero. Buy the six-pack.