Thin and expectantly light for the price-point, I picked this up at The Cheese Shop in Carmel last weekend among a myriad of Ian Brand offerings. There’s a certain ‘Old Vine’ nuance to it–such an unexplainable nuance, really, but there it is and when you feel it, you know it. A green, smoky, burnt layer over rich plummy fruit and a shock of bitter briar rising up from below. The nose is a squashed-bug sorta piquantness–not quite vegetal–not quite *mountain greenery*. Easy to drink and not insulting, it exists as merely a 22$ bottle of cab with soft tannin and racy fruit edged with an acceptible layer of angst. A bit of a *geeky* wine–NOT something #winebro is gonna gravitate to–but still rather simple even in dork terms. A considerable step down from his I. Brand offerings of ridiculous proportions.

2021 PAYSAN Cabernet Sauvignon ‘Old Vines’ San Benito Co. 13.2

www.ibrandwinery.com/