“…simply a fun style of Cab…” per Wine Enhusiast.

Are you hip? I’m definitely not. But walk into a room with a bottle of THIS in your hands, and your coolness factor at least doubles instantly. Described as “swanky AF” by FR themselves, and “fun” by the starched suits at Wine Enthusiast.

One thing we know for sure, everyone you share this with will want to know “where did you find it and how expensive was it?”

(You can then regale them with tales of this, and many other past conquests from your favorite online wine-slinging Spies.)

Or keep that to yourself and pretend you paid triple what you did. Because at $29 - that’s dang near 70% OFF - you’d be a square to not try at least a few. And did we forget the 94 POINTS from the suits?

Field Recordings! Only offered once (way back in 2015) on our site. Andrew Jones is the winemaker and the brains behind this label. If you have not had their wines, we highly urge you to pick this one up and also grab any others you see along your adventures in wine sleuthing. They’re all fantastic, unusual, unique, and downright crushable.

They’re mostly known for their offbeat skin contact whites, the fizzy and fun Pet-Nats, and lesser-known single varieties. But here, they take aim at the big dog; your clean, bold, jammy Napa-buster Cabernet.

Just a couple of years ago, they took VinePair’s Next Wave Winery of the Year Award, and for good reason: “Enthusiasts are often drawn to wine for its ability to be much more than just a bottle of boozy liquid - a thoughtfully crafted wine can often represent a specific time, place, or person. That’s exactly what winemaker Andrew Jones strives to capture with Field Recordings, which he considers a personal catalog of the people and places he values most… with the goal of showcasing interesting and historical California vineyard sites.”

This is entirely from dry-farmed vines in the Armory Vineyard, located in Paso’s highly regarded Adelaida District. Other producers who source from this site include Barton and My Favorite Neighbor by Eric Jensen of Booker fame.

Field Recordings does this with a different approach than most Paso Cabs, which, with age, risk turning into extracted, syrupy, alcohol-soaked fruit pies. This one? SO FRESH. Yes, it’s raised in 100% new French oak, but it’s so well integrated, and plays a background to the vivid red fruit that just drenches the palate here. Maraschino and Amarena cherries galore. Bushels of ‘em! Satsuma plum, a trace of cocoa nibs, and some fantastic orange peel and crazy Sichuan peppercorn thing going on, too. This tapestry unfolds in a superbly rich yet light on its feet style that makes it a 1,000% certified crowd pleaser.

Crazy good stuff. One taste and you’ll be hooked and then emailing your wine dealer for more.

The only thing is, there’s not much to begin with!

94 Points – Wine Enthusiast “This is simply a fun style of Cab, starting with fresh aromas of boysenberry and purple flowers that are intense and invigorating. The palate is juicy with maraschino cherry, mace, and star-anise flavors, taking the 100% new French oak elevage in a punchy, expertly spiced direction.”