One of the few silver linings to the dark clouds that envelop the wine industry today is the fact that we continue to benefit from a glut of absolutely spectacular, bargain-priced California wines. In fact, this glut is so pervasive that it's become a bit of a "shooting fish in a barrel" moment, requiring a sharp pencil and an insider's knowledge in order to take advantage of the very best values.
Fortunately, we have California's pre-eminent maker of affordably priced Cabernet Sauvignon, Britt Nichols, as our boots-on-the-ground expert in Napa and Sonoma, and her latest revelation, the 2022 Clos Julien "Les Gravières" Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon, is a wine for which we've literally cleared the decks of our other under $25 Cabernets.
As with our other Clos Julien offerings, we're under a non-disclosure agreement as to this wine's A-list source, but suffice it to say that it's among Sonoma royalty, with well-drained, southeast-facing old vines planted to ancient alluvial soils (hence, the "Les Gravières" moniker).