CROWN POINT
Owner Roger Bower’s Crown Point Vineyards, with help from the team of Philippe Melka and Maayan Koschitzky, are unquestionably fashioning some of the top Bordeaux blends coming out of Santa Barbara County today. The young Frenchman Simone Faury has replaced Adam Henkel as head winemaker, and unquestionably, the future is very bright for this address.
Lastly, the 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon comes from more volcanic, hillside parcels and is 97% Cabernet Sauvignon with 3% Petit Verdot. Aged in 50% new and 50% once-used French oak, it sports a deep plum/purple hue followed by Saint-Julien-like notes of crème de cassis, spicy oak, spring flowers, and smoked tobacco. The real deal, it's full-bodied, concentrated, and structured, with incredible purity and precision, ripe tannins, and a great finish. Another sensational Bordeaux blend from this team, it has some up-front appeal yet won't hit maturity for another 7-8 years and will be a 30+ year wine. Bravo! One of my favorite estates in the Central Coast for Bordeaux variety wines is Crown Point Vineyards, which is located in the Happy Canyon region of Santa Barbara County. Proprietor Roger Bower has done an incredible job at this estate, and the wines are made by Simon Faury, with consulting and blending advice from Michel Rolland. These are ripe, concentrated, incredibly textured wines that nevertheless hold onto a terrific sense of purity, finesse, and elegance. They are gorgeous wines, and I don’t think anyone does Bordeaux varieties in the Central Coast better. (Drink between 2031-2050)" -Jeb Dunnuck, 98+JD
"Intensely dark blueberry and cassis aromas are cut by hints of meat and dry oak on the nose of this estate's entry-level bottling, which includes 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petite Verdot. Chalky, firm tannins frame the fresh blackberry flavors of the sip, where a dusting of pepper spice floats through the long-lingering finish." -Wine Enthusiast, 95WE
