2024 Vintage Winners from Andrew Jones!
Is anyone in America bottling a wider array of delicious, high quality, well-priced wines than Andrew Jones of Field Recordings? Based in Paso Robles, Andrew crafts authentic red, white (and orange) wines from top Central Coast vineyards, and does so at prices that are shockingly good.
“Field Recordings buys grapes from all over the Central Coast of California and almost always makes interesting wines that are not intended to make statements, just to satisfy.”
- Eric Asimov, New York Times (7/3/2025)
Today we’ve got two new releases from Andrew and they are both drinking great. Leading off is the 2024 Field Recordings "Skins" (91 Points, $15.79), a wildly popular bottle that has tuned many Americans on to the joys of skin-contact white wine, aka orange wine.
Next is the wine that turned us on to Andrew so many years ago. Juicy, peppery and tasty, the 2024 Field Recordings "Fiction" (90 Points, $16.99) is the ultimate California smart buy red, and it sells for a song. Read on for our notes, then move to the Big Green Button to snatch 'em up!
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2024 Field Recordings "Skins" Orange Wine
Central Coast, California
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Rather remarkably, Skins is the top-selling wine that Andrew produces. And boy do we see why!
This latest vintage of "Skins" is an entirely fun blend of twelve grape varieties. It’s not only tasty and smartly priced, but it’s super clean and you can serve it to anyone, either as a welcome wine or paired with a wide variety of fare.
Skins is an eclectic and wide-ranging blend of Chenin Blanc (32%), Malvasia Bianca (14%), Pinot Gris (12%), Pinot Blanc (11%), Vermentino (10%), Trousseau Gris (9%), Albariño (4%), Sémillon (3%), Verdelho (2%), Picpoul (2%), Colombard (1%) and Gros Manseng (1%). Primarily from organically farmed vineyards, Andrew de-stems the fruit and ferments on the lees for between 23 and 46 days using with wild yeasts.
The 2024 Skins gives a wild and surprisingly layered collection of flavors, including white raspberry, blood orange, red pepper, herbal tea, spring flowers and exotic spice. Pouring a slightly hazy copper orange, this drinks like a skin contact white should; with a grippy and taut structure, finishing with juicy yumminess and no sign of unstable funk that sometimes plagues similar wines.
Here are the 91 Point reviews from Vinous and Wine Enthusiast!
“The 2024 SKINS opens with a vivid bouquet that recalls sun tea and blood orange. It is sweet upon entry, with a liquid floral concentration that saturates the senses as nuances of apricot and melon swirl throughout. Fresh and medium in length, the 2024 finishes with a hint of candied citrus. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2027.”
- 91 Points, Vinous - Eric Guido (6/2025)
“This brand was an early adopter to the skin-contact trend and remains one of the more serious-minded producers. In this case, a 12-grape blend led by Chenin Blanc produces a slightly copper-hued wine that's full of tangerine and maraschino cherry on the nose, exuding Old Fashioned cocktail vibes. The palate is all about texture and flavors of orange peel and iron.”
- 91 Points, Wine Enthusiast (11/1/2025)
Wine Enthusiast quotes $25. At 37% less, today's price beats every single one of the 58 online listings!
Vin Chicago Price: 15.79
2024 Field Recordings "Fiction" Red Blend
Paso Robles, California
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Andrew and his crew have crafted another delicious red with the 2024 vintage of Fiction. Sourced from vineyards around Paso Robles, including fruit from the organically farmed Loomis Vineyard, this latest concoction is soft, juicy, jammy and peppery with red, blue and black fruit notes.
The fruit here, a combination of Cinsault (21%), Lagrein (17%), Cabernet Franc (14%), Charbono (13%), Cabernet Sauvignon (10%), Sangiovese (9%), Alicante Bouschet (6%), Zinfandel (4%), Grenache (2%) and Trousseau (2%) is fermented by variety in small lots, then blended into a finished wine that is oh-so-perfect for pizza night, weekend picnics and just about any casual occasion - especially when the grill is fired up!
Five years ago, you could find several Central Coast red blends at this price. Today, there are almost none, especially with this level of pureness. Once again, Andrew has nailed it with Fiction, and we're thankful to be able to bring it to you for a GREAT price.
Winery price is $25. Median online retail is $22. While it is strong value at either of those amounts, we just can't help ourselves from offering it to you for less!
Vin Chicago Price: 16.99
