A really honest expression of California Cabernet - not trying to be anything else but exactly what it is. There's ripe blackcurrant and wild berry fruit on the nose complimented sweet vanilla oak. This is followed by rich cassis and black cherry fruit on the palate with a soft, juicy, yet long finish. All the fruit is framed by the subtle American oak, rounding everything out.

Showdown is a label with a real focus - great old vineyards in California's Central Valley, producing red wines of character, power and presence. As their vineyards age, not only does the fruit quality improve, but the winery matures with it, learning the cycles of the vines and becoming better attuned to it's style, thus the wines are always incrementally getting better. This wine is sourced from vineyards in the northern part of California’s Central Valley. The region around Lodi and Manteca enjoys significant influence from San Joaquin and Sacramento river deltas, which act as a natural cooling system to the often-searing heat of the region. The effect is to provide freshness to the ripe, fruit-charged Cabernet grapes. Individual Cabernet blocks are vinified separately and then blended to produce a wine which reflects the right balance between fruit and structure. This technique is particularly important, as it allows the winemaking team to work closely with each batch of grapes, ensuring they play to the strengths of the vineyard and the vintage. They currently only produce two wines - a Malbec and a Cabernet Sauvignon - and focus all their energy on these. This pays dividends by not only having the team tuned in to just two wines, but it also means that they can be really selective with the grapes, letting only the best fruit into the final wines. The 'Man with the Ax' Cab Sav shows this off brilliantly, consistently getting better each vintage. This showdown is not to be missed!