2023 Brecon Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (96 points)
Cabernet does not have to be a stereotypical brutish fullback in an oaken cigar box to be world-class. Rather, older vines, such as these, can have an elegance, complexity, and a sophistication that far outweighs the best youth team. Stereotypes are something us Welsh Winemakers are rather too familiar with. It alludes us as to why popular belief portrays us as hill-dwelling Celtic barbarians who can hold a tune. Few are proficient at rugby, and not everyone shares the surname Jones. Anyway, when not on our soapboxes! To complement the wine's complexity, we have found the restrained use of fine-grain French oak coopered in the iconic Cognac region serves best. Why this unusual barrel in particular? Why does it share its name with a legendary Jamaican rastafarian? Both answers completely elude us!
96 points. LA Invitational Wine Comp, March 2026.
94 points. Intl Wine Report, May 2026.
Gold + 93 points. Sunset International, June 2026.
Brecon Cabernet Vineyard (now Certified Historic) is essentially as close to the cooling Pacific Ocean as you can get while still being on the main block of Calcareous Bedrock in Paso Robles. There are only a few outliers that are closer to the coast. Think of these as small, isolated islands or patches of Calcareous bedrock. Adelaide Springs Ranch Merlot block straddles one such outlier. Hence, our desire to cherry-pick through the block based on the underlying bedrock.
| Vintage | 2023 |
| Varietal Composition | 85.97% Cabernet Sauvignon, Adelaida District, Brecon Estate Vineyard.
11.12% Petit Verdot, Adelaida District, Brecon Estate Vineyard.
2.91% Tannat, Adelaida District, Brecon Estate Vineyard |
| Appellation | Paso Robles Adelaida District |
| Acid | 0.56g/100ml |
| PH | 3.75 |
| Aging | Drink Now - 2040 |
| Residual Sugar | 0.04g/100ml |
| Alcohol | 14.80% |
| Volume | 750 ml |
| Bottling Date | 08/14/2025 |
| Cases Produced | 209 |
Brecon Vineyard was the third or fourth Cabernet vineyard planted in all of Paso Robles. About 15 acres are still standing strong (amazing since they were planted on their own roots), whereas their slightly older brethren have long since succumbed to a rather large yellow bulldozer. We solely use grapes from the western slope for the Reserve program. For us, the economics are unimportant; we have a special duty of care to elucidate the uniqueness of old vine Cabernet planted on calcareous bedrock topped with Linne Calodo clay.
