California Grape Whisperer Andrew Jones Nails This $18.99 Cabernet Blend!

As a well known vine nursery fieldsman by day, the great California grape whisperer Andrew Jones has spent a lifetime working with farmers in nearly every vineyard up and down the vast California Central Coast. Using his connections with these farmers, along with his unmatched knowledge of some the best under-the-radar vineyard sites in the Central Coast, Andrew is able to source some seriously great fruit for his side gig as winemaker for his own label, Field Recordings. Today we bring to you two of his latest releases that absolutely nail it in terms of both quality and value!

One of the best sub-$20 American Cabernet blends that we’ve tasted this year is his 2023 Field Recordings "Fiasco" Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon. Earning an enthusiastic 91+ Points from our stingy tasting panel, and selling for only $18.99, this deeply colored Paso Robles Cabernet is blended with 15% Sangiovese that lends a charming old-world Italian accent to the otherwise powerfully concentrated California fruitiness.

While Andrew’s take on a “Super Tuscan” from California really got our juices flowing, we are leading off below with his 2024 Field Recordings "Shucks" Chalone White Blend. Tasting like a $20+ Alsace-meets-Loire bottling, we’re letting this textured, dry, and zippy white fly today for just $13.99!

Scroll below for the tasting notes on both wines, then confidently click on the Big Green Button to bring these special values from California home!

============

2024 Field Recordings "Shucks" Chalone White Blend
Monterey County, California
~~~~~~~~~~~
At the base of Monterey’s Pinnacles National Monument lies a relatively unknown parcel of 50+ year old grape vines. This is the kind of vineyard that Andrew has discovered in his grape travels. For a long time this site was thought to be planted as all Pinot Blanc but, after recent DNA testing, it was discovered that this vineyard also contained quite a bit of Melon de Bourgogne, the noble grape of the Loire Valley’s Muscadet!

Packed with minerality harnessed from the limestone and granite rich soils of this old-vine vineyard in the mountainous Chalone appellation, this classically-styled wine is like an Alsatian Pinot Blanc crossed with a bone dry Muscadet from Nantes. Unadorned, but with an impressive inner density, this lees-aged white blend is a spritely 12.5% ABV and combines salted Granny Smith apple slices with vibrant lemony fruit and white florals through a surprisingly lengthy finish.

With a virile and salt-drenched profile cherished by fans of western Loire Valley wines, along with a rich and plump stone fruit core adored by fans of Alsatian bottlings, “Shucks” is one of the coolest American white values we’ve got. Earning a solid 90 Points on our scale, it makes for a perfect pairing with fish, chicken, and you guessed it, oysters!

Online median retail is a very humble $18. Our price is much lower. Grab several bottles to drink now and over the next few years!

Vin Chicago Price: 13.99

2023 Field Recordings "Fiasco" Cabernet Sauvignon
Paso Robles, California
~~~~~~~~~~~
Only the inimitably versatile Andrew Jones can make a "Super Tuscan" styled Cabernet blend from California that is not only totally delicious, but also sells for under twenty bucks!

Blending 80% Cabernet Sauvignon with 15% Sangiovese and 5% Merlot, this effortlessly delicious red will have you feeling like you’ve enjoyed an afternoon under the Tuscan sun even though it is entirely sourced from Paso Robles! Named after the straw basket bottoms found on some traditional bottles of wine from Tuscany, the 2023 “Fiasco” is led by a beautiful interplay between the new world profile of the Cabernet with an old world structure from the Sangiovese. Winemaker Andrew Jones officiates this marriage to perfection, crafting a super yummy red blend that drips with raspberry and blackberry juiciness followed by hints of cocoa and a kiss of oak, all wrapped up in a soft and rustic structure. Its vivacity and freshness will put a smile on your face and have you going back for sip after sip, especially if paired with a pork ragu, ossobuco, or a juicy steak.

We’re a strong 91+ points on this Cabernet based beauty, and if you have the patience to drink this over the span of a couple of days, it will continue to reward. The fact that we are able to sell a Paso Robles wine like Fiasco for under $20 is mind-blowing. Grab a handful of bottles today and treat yourself, along with any Cabernet or Italian wine lover in your life!

Vin Chicago Price: 18.99