Benziger Estate, Sonoma Valley (Sonoma County, California) 2019

 An extremely alluring blend, the 2019 Oonapais offers up loads of soft, sexy aromas and flavors, but then also backs them up with more serious layering of flavors and just the right amount of structural grip to set of the fruit and frame the finish.  The blend is 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Malbec, 14% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, but I’m not convinced these percentages are as important as the judicious timing by which the varieties were picked.  The finished wine displays lots of ripe flavors across its spectrum of sensory signals, but none of them seem over-ripe or raisiny.  The overall impression is more about sexiness than structure, making this a candidate for relatively early enjoyment, but there’s no rush, as this will last and even improve for five years.  A Platinum Award winner at the 2022 San Diego International Wine and Spirits Challenge.