The 30 Best Red Wines for 2021I can feel American wine diversifying by the year. More innovation and focus on soil and variety relationships are driving a bright diverse future. But we can’t forget how this all came to be. Founded by Josephine Tychson in the late 19th century, Freemark Abbey survived disease and Prohibition, entering both the red and white categories in the 1976 Judgement of Paris. Dark and brooding, this wine is deserving of aromatic descriptors such as mocha, blackberries, and hints of white and cracked black pepper. It’s still aging with a rustic edge, but is a pleasure to drink now. In a few years, it’ll soften into the legacy it holds.

Not sure what happened to the 2019 vintage. We must have missed it. Anyway, here we are. A blend of Sexton, Applejack, Primavera, Tarraford Vineyards, with 40% whole bunch and 10% new oak. Small yields, high quality, is the message from the winery.Aromatic and spicy, charred red capsicum and red fruit, subtle biscuity oak. Bright, energetic, fine emery tannin, a slight smokiness to taste, fresh raspberries, soft but sure grip on a long finish. Light, but with a fair bit of concentration and extract. Easy to enjoy.

This medium ruby colored Merlot opens with a blueberry, wild cherry and oak bouquet with hints of dried herbs and lavender. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, well-balanced, polished, elegant and nicely coats your mouth. The flavor profile is a tasty red plum and gentle oak blend with notes of cherry and hints of minerality and black pepper. The finish is dry and its flavors and mild tannins drift away nicely. The Panel would pair this Merlot with veal medallions with mushroom-wine sauce or a Tennessee meatloaf (blend of beef, pork & veal)

A rockin' rosé that grooves to outputs of tangy cranberries, wild strawberries, toffee apple and a dusting of spices - but the key here is the savouriness. It's also textural and, importantly, dry.

This Central Coast GSM has an Australian feel: warm and generous in its red raspberry and red cherry scents, bright on the edges, with a juicy core of red fruits and caramelly oak to back it up. This is modern and forward, for barbecue.

A generous grenache with notes of baked strawberry and rhubarb, this buzzes with red fruit and tangy orange pith acidity. This is biodynamically farmed grenache from vines planted at the top of the ridge in Blewitt Springs in 1946. Pour it with roast goat and orange and ginger chutney.

With its sweet baked raspberry and cocoa notes, this wine has the flavor of a chocolate-raspberry ganache. It’s simple and rich.

Celebrate Valentine’s Day With These Splurge WinesArcanum is the pinnacle of the estate’s Toscana IGT offerings. Based on Cabernet Franc, the true signature of the estate, this remarkable wine is built to age, yet is drinkable young, offering aromas of violets, roses and raspberries, with long and delicate spice notes; it is a wine that is seductive yet subtle. Arcanum is sourced primarily from the L’Apparita and Belvedere blocks of Cabernet Franc. With superb exposure and sandy clay soils, each year these blocks shine to produce the finest expression of the variety, and the leading wine of the estate.

The GS welcome matt is rolled out with this wine!Juicy, bright citrus and stone fruit characters, licks of salty nuts and faint honeyed toast. Rolls around the palate with a sense of high refreshment and pristine, youthful, tight-skinned green grapines – you know, pluck a berry off the bunch straight out of the fridge and chomp. That kind of deal. Such a delight to drink, super easy to drink, a little polish and spit shine and we’re here! Nice one.

Coming from 100-year-old vines, half of the Highwire vineyard parcel is head-trained and half is trained on a high wire, permitting greater sun exposure and promoting even ripening. The 2018 Zinfandel Highwire Vineyard was aged in French oak, 51% new, for 10 months. Deep garnet-purple colored, the nose is a little closed and broody to begin, giving way to notes of black cherry compote, blueberry pie and raisin cake followed by nuances of garrigue, fragrant soil, white pepper and bay leaves. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is lively and chock-full of juicy black fruits, supported by chewy tannins, finishing long and peppery.

From head-trained vines more than 100 years old, the 2018 Zinfandel Jolene's Vineyard was aged in French oak, 28% new, for nine months. Medium garnet-purple colored, it opens with notions of blackberry pie, fruitcake and plum preserves plus hints of Indian spices, sandalwood and fragrant earth with a waft of black loam. Full-bodied, rich, spicy and chock-full of black and blue fruit, it has a chewy texture and loads of freshness, finishing with epic length.

Don and Jennifer Hartford tend this head-trained, 100+-year-old vineyard in the backyard of their home. The 2018 Zinfandel Hartford Vineyard was aged in French oak, 56% new, for 10 months. Deep garnet-purple in color, it has a very peppery/spicy nose to begin—cinnamon, cloves and cardamom—with a core of blackberry pie, blueberry compote and warm plums plus touches of hoisin and unsmoked cigars. Full-bodied and laden with exotic spice and black fruit preserves layers, the generous fruit is well supported by velvety tannins and lovely freshness, finishing long and opulent.

Coming from vines planted over 100 years ago, which have been trained up to chest level to increase air circulation and sun exposure to the berries, the 2018 Zinfandel Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard was aged in French oak, 50% new, for 10 months. Deep garnet-purple colored, it skips out of the glass with notes of red currant jelly, raspberry pie and wild blueberries plus touches of stewed plums, wild sage and tilled soil with a waft of cast iron pan. Full-bodied, the palate has beautiful elegance and fine-grained tannins with a lively backbone lifting the pure black and blue fruit flavors to a long finish.

The 2018 Zinfandel Winberrie Knolls was sourced from 100+-year-old vines coming from two vineyards farmed by Don and Jenny Hartford's neighbors. It was aged in French oak, 33% new, for 10 months. Medium garnet-purple colored, it charges out of the gate with rambunctious notes of raspberry pie, blackberry preserves and blueberry compote followed by nuances of Chinese five spice, black pepper and clove oil with a waft of plum sauce. Full-bodied, the palate is packed with spicy black fruit preserves plus a chewy texture and lively backbone, finishing long and exotic.

The 2018 Zinfandel Dina's Vineyard was aged in French oak, 56% new, for 10 months. Deep garnet-purple colored, it has a wonderfully fragrant nose of red roses, spice box, tilled earth and truffles with a core of prunes, blackberry preserves and kirsch, plus a waft of licorice. Full-bodied, concentrated and wonderfully structured, it has a firm, grainy backbone and long, layered and refreshing finish.

The 2019 Zinfandel Russian River Valley was aged in French oak, 40% new, for 10 months. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, it slowly emerges from the glass with notions of wild blueberries, black raspberries and raspberry pie plus hints of potpourri, incense, rose petals and hoisin. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is velvety and refreshing, featuring loads of baking spice and floral layers, finishing on an earthy note.

Napa Valley’s 2018sThe 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain District is a monster of a mountain Cabernet that has a primordial bouquet of blackcurrants, smoked earth, chocolate, and graphite. While Spring Mountain wines tend to be more aromatic and complex right out of the gate, that’s not the case here, and this is going to need bottle age to round into form. Full-bodied on the palate, with a rich, concentrated mouthfeel, it has serious tannins, notable purity of fruit, and a great finish. With air, it picks up more and more classic Spring Mountain floral and exotic notes, and it’s flawlessly balanced, with gorgeous tannins and a great, great finish. This is a brilliant wine in the lineup and unquestionably one of the true gems from Spring Mountain in 2018. Give bottles 4-5 years and enjoy over the following 2-3 decades.

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon is based on a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot that spent 22 months in 81% new French oak. It’s a wonderfully complete, borderline perfect wine that shows the class of this estate as well as the vintage, revealing a seamless, full-bodied style that carries lots of blackcurrant, graphite, lead pencil, and tobacco aromatics, a deep, layered mid-palate, ultra-fine tannins, and flawless balance. As with most of Chris’s 2018s, it’s a wine that builds slowly with time in the glass, offering a layered, singular character. It’s a gorgeous 2018 that can be drunk today with ample pleasure, but it will ideally be given 4-6 years of bottle age, at which point it should evolve gracefully for 30-40 years.

Napa Valley’s 2018sComing from two estate vineyards consisting of pure volcanic soils, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain District sports deep purple/ruby color to go with a brilliant, full-bodied, seamless wine that’s going to flirt with perfection at maturity. Blackcurrants, chocolate, loamy earth, tobacco, and violet notes define the bouquet, and this beauty hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a voluptuous, layered mouthfeel, ample tannins, and a great finish. This is another magical, mountain Cabernet Sauvignon from this estate that needs a good 4-5 years of bottle age, if not more, and will cruise for decades in cold cellars.

Napa Valley’s 2018sA blend of 75% Cabernet Franc and 25% Merlot, the 2018 Cabernet Franc is a beautifully elegant, seamless expression of the variety that I’d be happy to have in the cellar. Offering lots of red and blue fruits, camphor, flowers, and spice, it has a beautiful, seamless, medium to full-bodied style that keeps you coming back to the glass. This is one of those wines that grows on you with time in the glass, and while it’s not a blockbuster, it has flawless balance, ultra-fine tannins, and fabulous length. Count me impressed – this is the finest example of this cuvée to date.

Napa Valley’s 2018sLots of cassis and black raspberry fruits as well as classic Mount Veeder notes of lavender, violets, bouquet garni, and rocky, mineral-like notes emerge from the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon. A deep, full-bodied mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, it has a plush, layered texture, beautiful tannins, a deep, concentrated mid-palate, and a great finish. Another head-turning wine from this label, it’s a candidate for the best Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon out there at the price point.

Napa Valley’s 2018sAnother beautiful wine in this lineup is the 2018 Cabernet Franc, which is 100% varietal and spent 22 months in 80% new French oak. Its deep purple hue is followed by a rich, full-bodied, incredibly layered 2018 offering beautiful cassis and mulberry fruit, notes of tobacco, dried flowers, and chocolate, ultra-fine tannins, no hard edges, and a great finish. This remarkable 2018 should be snatched up by readers, as it represents a smoking value!

Napa Valley’s 2018sComing from a single vineyard on Howell Mountain, the 2018 Merlot W.S. Keyes is a blockbuster effort that offers an awesome bouquet of blackcurrants, mulled black cherries, tobacco, graphite, scorched earth, blood orange, and violets. One of the finest examples of the variety in the vintage, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a deep, layered mid-palate, silky tannins, and a great finish. Reminding me of a great Pomerol with its incredible elegance paired with a building sense of power and depth, this is going to benefit from 5-7 years of bottle age (I’d happily drink a bottle today) and cruise in cold cellars for 20-25 years or more.

Napa Valley’s 2018sThe first vintage for this new cuvée, the 2018 Proprietary Red Blend checks in as 41% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Malbec and Petit Verdot. Red and blue fruits, scorched earth, spring flowers, and violets emerge from this medium to full-bodied 2018, which is reminiscent of a top Saint-Emilion given its terrific sense of minerality. Medium to full-bodied and just brilliantly put together on the palate, it shows the purity of fruit that is the hallmark of this great vintage. Enjoy bottles any time over the coming 15-20 years.

Napa Valley’s 2018sPretty, exotic candied orange and floral notes emerge from the 2018 Merlot, which is medium to full-bodied and has a juicy, elegant texture, moderate, nicely integrated tannins, and just a charming, undeniably delicious style. It builds nicely with time in the glass and shows the more pure, elegant, seamless profile of the vintage yet still brings plenty of fruit. It’s ideal for enjoying over the coming decade.