I stumbled on this wine randomly, via Facebook. I follow my husband’s fraternity (Delta Sigma Phi) on social media and one day they posted an alumni profile, which just happened to be Justin Baldwin, whose vineyards were named 2015 American Winery of the Year by Wine Enthusiast. I told John he was holding out on me – who knew they had a winemaker in the organization and how had we never heard of Justin before?!

The following interview is a few years old, but I thought it gave a great overview of how Justin got started and what sets his wines apart from others. What you need to remember about this wine is that it is a Bordeaux style wine in Paso Robles, which is unique to this area. In 1981, when Justin started the winery, Zinfandel was wildly popular and this was a departure from the norm.

I was excited to find the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon at a wine bar and since then I’ve seen it at a number of wine stores in the area. It is classic Cabernet, clear with a dark ruby purple core. It has notes of ripe black cherry, blackcurrant and berry fruit with vanilla, cinnamon and subtle dried fall leaf accents. It is smooth and supple with a clean finish. This is a go-to choice for any food from pizza to steak.

The 2015 version of the Cabernet Sauvignon runs for $26.25 or $21 at the Wine Society price. If I decide to join another wine club I would definitely choose this one. It would be fun to have these on hand for gifts and housewarming parties for our fraternity friends.

If you ever make it to Paso Robles, Justin has a restaurant, an inn called the “Just Inn,” and tasting room to enjoy.

Have you tried any Justin wines before? Let me know your favorites.

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