This is a very strange wine.  Been watching the whole Ballard Canyon/ Happy Canyon AVA thing lately and several things tasted are noteworthy.  However, this is not one of them.  75 MT 20 cab and smidgens of franc, bec and PV.  If I had tasted this blind, I would have sworn it was a Sierra/Calveras/Amador zin or PS.  Really cheap fruit-forward nose.  Pink edges.  Fairly well fruited, but of a category and type I prefer NOT.  And then it has this smoky, briary background in the nose and entry which make me sit up.  REally a strange wine and prob won’t buy more.  Very young, yes.  But it is flawed.  It is not a serious MT-based BDX.  It is not a serious MT.  It is not a serious red wine.  It has serious PARTS, but that nose just blows it.  Would be interesting to taste at 5 and 10 though….. 14-1 and a solid ♦ wine.

August, 2013:  SB’s newest AVA. Basically a lower Pom or st. Em. Quite nice. Fairly simple but solid. And the pricepoint is nice. ♦