2012 Westerly Fletcher’s Red Santa Ynez Valley 750 ml

Passing Up Harlan, Striking Gold in Santa Barbara

This deep, dark Santa Barbara “Super Tuscan,” loaded with black fruit, tobacco, and vanilla, earned a slam-dunk 95-point score from Wine Enthusiast. Little wonder, considering Waverly is led by owner and rancher Roger Bower and winemaker Adam Henkel, an eight-year veteran of Harlan Estate. Together they are demonstrating bottle by bottle just how extraordinary Santa Barbara County can be for Bordeaux varieties, in particular the Happy Canyon terroir. It was the unique microclimate and soils here that seduced Henkel from his 100-point legacy and cushy post at one of Napa’s most prestigious houses. $75 a bottle at the winery. $49.99 today only from Wine Access—a savings of 33% for a Cabernet blend featuring what Enthusiast dubs “a taste of the high life for a slightly more affordable price.”

The Happy Canyon AVA, sitting at the far eastern edge of the Santa Ynez Valley, may just be the greatest source of Cabernet Sauvignon in Santa Barbara. It is the warmest of the five appellations in the region, providing all the requisite heat for full ripening and fruit density, but by 4 p.m. every afternoon a brisk marine breeze kicks up, whooshing down the east-west oriented canyon, cooling vines, slowing the ripening process, and keeping acids even-keeled. These amphitheater-like conditions, in combination with the low-vigor soil, rich with serpentine and magnesium, are gaining Happy Canyon recognition as a world-class spot for cultivating Bordeaux varieties.

Star Lane Vineyard (whose Cabernets have dialed up multiple 95+ scores from Vinous), McGinley, Paul Lato, and Foxen have been among the big names helping to establish Happy Canyon’s sterling reputation. With this stunning 2012 release, Westerly took its place among the AVA’s leading lights. Owner Roger Bower and winemaker Adam Henkel have already achieved massive acclaim for their high-end Crown Point releases, with Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate writing that the wines embrace “the unabashed ripeness that’s possible with California sunshine.”

While Crown Point focuses primarily on 100% Cabernet releases, Westerly was developed to showcase the kind of grapes that have made Ornellaia, Sassicaia, and Solaia famous in Tuscany: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Sangiovese. Instituting a high-density planting approach and a focus on rich fruit honed in Napa, Henkel crafted a masterpiece in 2012, aided by a historic vintage. Though the growing season was extraordinary up and down California’s coastline, it achieved perhaps its highest quality in Santa Barbara, with rainfall replenishing underground water tables before a hot, dry summer set in. This is a love letter to Happy Canyon, and one of the AVA’s greatest showings yet.