Duckhorn Postmark Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles 2019

When Duckhorn really got serious is when they purchased Kosta Browne for access to some of the best Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Russian River Valley and then bought Calera for six of the most coveted blocks of Pinot Noir in the whole Central Coast. Immediately, their portfolio became one of California’s best, but one thing was still missing – a great value Cabernet.

Enter Postmark– the final piece de resistance holding the Duckhorn Family back from interstellar domination. Last year’s rendition was made in Napa Valley. I found it an odd choice. There’s a lot of great places in California to grow Cabernet and just about every place is less expensive than the fruit they were getting. It had to have been a losing venture.

But Dan Duckhorn didn’t get to where he is on dumb luck– so after just one vintage, he made a big change that likely corrected the course. For the 2019 vintage, the Duckhorn’s decided that the pick of the litter from inarguably California’s hottest AVA, Paso Robles, beat the pants off their St. Helena & Oak Knoll options.

Who am I to argue? They settled in the home to Daou, Adelaida, and Austin Hope amongst others and got their check books out– picking the perfect vintage to do so.