2018 Le Vigne Winery Petite Sirah Paso Robles 750 ml

We wish we could shine a light on every undersung region in California, but we’re more than happy for Napa and Sonoma to stay center-stage if it means we can keep snagging incredible, single-vineyard bottles like Le Vigne Winery’s Petite Sirah. It’s one of our favorite Golden State discoveries.

From a top-flight, family-owned estate in the often-overlooked Paso Robles AVA—one of the “most dynamic [regions] in California,” according to Wine Spectator—this dark-fruited Central Coast beauty embodies everything we love about the area’s take on rich, slow-ripening Petite Sirah. A golden-hilled utopia for the variety, Paso’s long, hot summer days quickly recede as the mercury drops drastically into cool nights, yielding succulent, full-throttle reds that also retain vibrant acidity.

The sustainably farmed Domenico Vineyard contains the first vines planted by Walter and Sylvia Fillipini. The celebrated husband-and-wife team put them in the ground in 1982, two decades after purchasing the land from country music legend Buck Owens. Four decades later, the wines from the site display the kind of floral, wild-berry intensity that will keep Cab drinkers coming back for another glass, as well as a spine-tingling core of freshness.

The 2018 vintage from Le Vigne nails that balance. It has the quality and richness that, had it come from Napa, would make it a highly-coveted “unicorn” wine pursued by trophy-hunting collectors. But thanks to the welcoming Paso Robles terroir, it’s now yours to enjoy in all its spicy, blackberry-rich glory.