We suppose imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Brecon has actually had to go all inky dark on you regarding our vineyard sourcing. Our English winemaker is feeling “A little miffed” bordering on “It’s a bit pesky” due to a spate of attempted vineyard contract thefts. BTW, the last time the British collectively had such a feeling was in 1940 when tea supplies nearly ran out during the blitz. Either way the majority of grapes are from Brecon old vines. Meaning it has our signature broad spectrum of flavors including, ironically, a subtle hint of Assam from the Cab Franc. The forest and earthy aroma interplay between varietals is very nuanced again a Brecon Meritage hallmark.

Gold. 92pts. Critics Challenge International Wine Competition. July 2021

Like the lumen sucking darkness I once immersed myself in a lava cave in Iceland. Darkness you can absolutely chew on. OK perhaps the chewy bit might be related to the wonderfully ripe tannins from this single vineyard expression. Amazingly, sunny Paso Robles can take some of these lesser known varieties to new dizzying heights. Bright velvety fruit, bags of varietal character, fantastic structure and excellent mid palate fruit weight. No need to go Icelandic volcano watching to warm your tootsies. This Petit Verdot pairs perfectly with any mildy chilly or blustery evening.

Platinum. 94pts.  Monterey International Wine Competition. March 2021

91pts. Jeb Dunnuck. September 2021

Gold. Central Coast Wine Competition. June 2021

Oh to be 42 yet again! Supposedly life does indeed begin at Forty too, and would you just "Adam & Eve it." The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, (by Douglas Adams) after which this wine is inspired, was released a mere 42 years ago. Coincidentally and perhaps weirdly, Brecon Estate was purchased on a previous anniversary of this exact date. It's our super smooth signature Rhone-style red wine designed as the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything. Petite Sirah, Syrah, Mourvedre blend.  Try it and find out!

94pts. Jeb Dunnuck. September 2021

Once upon a time, in the not so distant future. We had a jolly Mourvedre fan, let's call him Pete.  He totally spat the dummy, then proceeded to throw his toys out of the cot. For the simple reason we had run out of our beloved Mourvedre. Some years we don't even make one eg 2012, 2015, 2017. All have a signature naturally sweet forest fruit character, velvety smooth but with excellent length. First class examples from these parts typically have a high proportion of hill top fruit overlain with a framework of complex smoky and earthy notes. Ours, is a 100% single vineyard hilltop offering. So the moral of this story, there is always a moral, not only should we card our Mourvedre drinkers more carefully, but for Pete’s sake (groan!) grab it while you can.

92pts. Jeb Dunnuck. September 2021

2017 Meritage. 98pts.

2018 Petit Verdot. 93 pts. 

2018 Petite Sirah 93.pts.

2017 Cabernet/Petit Verdot. 95pts.

Score! Great discount on individual bottle prices, (Sorry no other discounts apply)

It's all in a name. Brecon loves how it rolls off the tongue and how it oh so fits on a number of levels, even if the acronym is accidentally risque. Firstly it was coined during some civil unrest and was one of the first terms in the UK to go viral. We do let the wild yeast run amok and it's somewhat riotous on the tongue. Secondly we use two varieties traditionally excluded from the nobel variety club. Petite Sirah and Zinfandel. When properly nurtured in Paso Robles they can truly be world class. Finally put one proverbial finger up at the conventions of a class system by bottling it in our single vineyard reserve program. By the way, it’s a big structured cooler climate Petite Sirah/Zinfandel blend with bags of character and layers of hidden pepper and spice.. Full disclosure, none of our team was involved in said riots!

We kept those gerrymandering winemakers at arms length in 2018! This expression then is pure Brecon Vineyard with nothing yomping (it's a word) over the boundary fence to sneak into the blend. Others might claim the biggest or darkest Cabernet in Paso. We have the oldest. With that comes a dire wolf warning. This is a complex old crooner that just oozes sophistication. It will undoubtedly worm its way into your heart. Ladies, it might even satisfy your secret old man crush!

A broad spectrum of flavors that modern monotone plantings just don't have. Without the tannins of the modern clones it is soft and approachable much earlier, being more akin, in body, to a Cabernet Franc than a Greek Adonis. Only 129 c/s produced.

Rich, soft and velvety with a surprising brightness typical of this Cote-Rotie inspired wine. Overtones of Mandarin skin is the classic descriptor for such a co-ferment. It’s certainly detectable on the finish of this spectacular example. From a food perspective, we are assuredly safe in speculating that it pairs remarkably well with the Scottish national dish. Haggis has actually been banned in the USA. Consequently you would have to jump on a plane with your “bonnie wee lassie” and a bottle of Brecon to test the said theorem. The name actually hails from the discovery of a particularly tight, gnarly cave passage under the Brecon Beacons National Park. Imagination is a wonderful thing!

Double Gold. Central Coast Wine Competition. June 2021

93pts. Jeb Dunnuck. September 2021

We suppose imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Brecon has actually had to go all inky dark on you regarding our vineyard sourcing. Our English winemaker is feeling “A little miffed” bordering on “It’s a bit pesky” due to a spate of attempted vineyard contract thefts. BTW, the last time the British collectively had such a feeling was in 1940 when tea supplies nearly ran out during the blitz. Either way the majority of grapes are from Brecon old vines. Meaning it has our signature broad spectrum of flavors including, ironically, a subtle hint of Assam from the Cab Franc. The forest and earthy aroma interplay between varietals is very nuanced again a Brecon Meritage hallmark.

When in barrel, the most apt descriptor I heard was- to quote a rather loud bonnie lass, “it’s a weee little beastie that”. Strangely that’s exactly what we strived for in a young bordeaux. However I suspect we will need to give this 8-9 months bottle age prior to release to get this supple enough for those Southern Softie Sassenachs that occasionally frequent these parts. Now don’t get me wrong, with the underlying smoothness of 50% “ye olde vine” Brecon Cabernet and the opulent dark forest fruit from the Petit Verdot. We suspect this will meld into something remarkably long lived.

Best of Class. Platinum. 94pts. Monterey International Wine Competition March 2020

Best of Varietal. Best of Class. Gold. New World International Wine Competition March 2020

Gold. San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition Jan 2020

91pts. purely domestic wine report. Oct. 2020

91pts. Jeb Dunnuck. Sept 2020

Gold. 91pts. Critics Challenge International Wine Competition. July 2020

A three dog night, warm your cockles kind of wine. (Cochlea =Latin for ventricles of your heart and there we were thinking we were using cockney rhyming slang).  In any event... come to think of it I can't think of an event this wine would not go well with. Kind of like your favorite black dress or a good sausage sizzle goes with any party in Australia. To wrap this up, we have taken it to the max with the other bits and bobs we can sneak into this wine to give it rather overt structure and complexity. However, its beating heart of jammy red fruit and underlying pepper and spice layers still veritably leap from the glass.

Platinum. 94pts. Winemaker Challenge International Wine Competition. April 2021.

To Muddy the Waters so to speak, we made two remarkably different Zinfandels from the 2018 Vintage (saw him live in St Louis, just brilliant). So, make sure you have picked up the right bottle. This is the foodies choice of the two. Brighter, rather than jammy, with an intriguing spice layer reminiscent of Grandma’s seemingly endless holiday feast (alas me Grandma never saw him live)! It does, however, have some rockstar/cult Zin credentials, organically grown, dry farmed hilltop vineyard, toasty oak framework, and underlying pepper.

If this wine was sentient it might perhaps have “A Beautiful Mind”. Intriguingly complex, high brow, multi-layered deep and sometimes oh so dark. Strong in its conviction, although a little fruity and decidedly spicy. To the extent that it borders on being somewhat schizophrenic between the last three, i.e. each time you engage it you might randomly get a slightly different persona. A sure sign of a great vino.

I met a jolly larrikin in the mirror this morning. Not spied him for... well I don’t remember how long really. It was that fun fellow with the child in his eyes. Reminded me distinctly of this little drop. Rich and mature with a refined cigar box persona, but with that distinct Peter Pan never grows old brightness and vitality. I believe we last partied on his barn roof being spellbound by velky vuz (the big dipper in Czech,) and that, I suspect, is its perfect pairing. A barn roof, a warm blankie and clear starlit night. BTW, the Surgeon General (maverick that he is not) probably advises against barn roofs, gravity and full bodied Petite Sirah!

Gold. 93pts. Beverage Testing Institute. December 2020

Our winemaker doesn't wear a hat,  he had to eat it back in 2013. He was soooo adamant he would never produce a straight Grenache. However, five bewitching barrels of this Hilltop fruit just said drink me! We have crafted a Grenache ever since. This hilltop fruit is more reminiscent of an old vine Grenache; it has a little more concentration and character than its flatlander, rooty tooty fruity, compatriots. Consequently we can frame it in some fine French oak and create something that is both eminently approachable and ages remarkably well.

Gold. Denver International Wine Competition. July 2021

93pts. Jeb Dunnuck. September 2021