# 39 - 2021 TOP 100 WINE SPECTATOR

Vermillion is the brainchild of husband and wife team Helen Keplinger and DJ Warner.

The quality of the wine is based on the quality of all its inputs - good vineyards, smart farming, pure and focused winemaking - ultimately attention and TLC at every step. We make this wine from the vineyards to the bottle, working closely with grape growers from awesome little vineyard sites in Napa Valley, Sonoma County, and the Sierra Foothills. We've sought out interesting sites with great dirt, farm them with care and thought, and use traditional winemaking to craft honest wine and make an artisanal red wine blend to match any occasion, any food, any time. Vermillion is a terroir-driven, delicious, hand-crafted wine to be enjoyed any night of the week.

Plump and supple, with jammy black raspberry and pomegranate flavors that are laced with notes of licorice, smokey grilled herbs, and pepper. Glides on the finish toward fine-grained tannins. Grenache, Syrah, Mourvede, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petite Sirah.

Robert Parker 91 Points "Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Red Blend leaps joyously from the glass with bright, expressive raspberry coulis, Black Forest cake and blackberry compote scents plus touches of garrigue, fertile loam, fried herbs and dried roses with a waft of Sichuan pepper. Medium-bodied, the palate is softly spoken with a wonderfully plush texture and oodles of freshness, finishing long and perfumed."