63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 10% Petite Sirah, 6% Syrah, 6% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc

An offshoot of winemaker Andy Erickson (winemaker for Screaming Eagle and Dalla Valle) and wife/partner Annie Favia’s ‘Favia’ Napa Valley Cab project, Leviathan was created after the 2004 harvest solely to make the very best possible wine from a given vintage using the best, but extraneous fruit with which this super-star duo had access. Not beholden to any particular vineyard site or blend of grapes, it’s culled from the very best sources that fall into their hands in a given year and slapped with a California appellation to keep it simple. In the extraordinary 2021 vintage, there was an embarrassment of riches from which to choose, and the resulting wine is truly on a scale of its own! As you might guess from its name, Leviathan is fashioned to be a California ‘monster,’ packed with enormously concentrated fruit, a broad, broad palate and bold, ripe silky tannins. In this vintage it’s a little over half Cabernet Sauvignon with the rest consisting of Merlot, Syrah and soupcons of nicely ripened Cabernet Franc, Petite Sirah and Petit Verdot. Leviathan in 2021 is, indeed, Leviathan-like! One of the most powerful and vibrant versions we’ve ever tried, its personality leans towards Cabernet’s brambly, dried herb side, with leafy sage, mint and cardamom adding nuance to a solid, deep core of chocolate, red and blue-berries and espresso. On the palate, while it’s beautifully seamless, it’s dense with large-and-in-charge grip. Skip the Dover Sole with this one! It’s a steakhouse red you’ll love with Rib Eyes, big roasts, burgers and more. Drink it now for its hedonism or cellar to allow its youthful exuberance to mellow a bit. We’ve got a really nice price to entice you to add some to your cellar and, perhaps, even open one with that grilled tenderloin you’ve been planning. It’s a helluva bargain too!

Jeb Dunnuck Always a good value, the 2021 California Red Wine is no exception and has darker berry fruits, some leafy herb, sage, lavender, and chocolate nuances, full-bodied richness, and a lush, round, seamless style that's already impossible to resist. This is primarily Cabernet Sauvignon (with plenty of other red varieties), and it should shine for 7-8 years, if not a decade, although I would drink this puppy in its youth. 94 points

James Suckling: Blueberries, black berries, and flowers. Some stone. Spearmint and fresh bay leaves. Medium to full body with layers of juicy tannins that are rounded and textured. Creamy and caressing. 65% cabernet sauvignon with cabernet franc, petite sirah, petit verdot and merlot. 93 points