Cardinal Reserve
We walked into this vineyard. Bud break had barely started. There were only a few tiny green leaves on each Cabernet plant. You could tell that the vineyard was on the cusp of death or life. Some vines were no longer pushing buds. Still there, but only as a monument of past glories. The whole vineyard gives off an impression, a vibration, an energy level that only great vineyards do. Santiago turned around and told Jim, “This place is our reason to make wine in Paso.”
After that, we were never surprised by the greatness of the fruit and the wines. Continually amazed, but never surprised. There are vineyards which take their time to reveal who they are, but this vineyard’s greatness was immediately apparent. Of all the Paso wines we’ve tasted, this is the place where we find more purity, more soil, more place, more bright Westside Paso.
Cardinal is very old-vine Cabernet Sauvignon of classic proportions. This is a wine beyond outstanding. This is a wine that goes beyond excellence, into character, interest and emotion.
Cardinal is our flagship, and a vintage must earn the right to the name.
In autumn 2025, we’re thrilled to unveil a wine that surpasses even this legacy:
Cardinal Reserve, of which there are only 4 barrels.
From select blocks of the oldest surviving Paso Cabernet vineyard (now 61 years!!) and aged to perfection, Cardinal Reserve offers unmatched depth and complexity.
Vintage 2019 winemaker's notes
100 cases produced. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
The oldest survivng Cab vineyard in Paso. Planted in 1964, most of the 61-year old plants still surviving. Tiny, ridiculous yields of half a ton of grapes per acre. Steep limestone hillsides. And the wine that most responds to the definition of “terroir”: a wine that tastes like its place.
Within the five acres we farm, the blocks of vines have remarkably varied slopes, drainage, and solar aspect.
The Farm Winery has created Cardinal since our inaugural 2009 vintage. But never before vintage 2019 have we released a Reserve Cardinal.
Something happened in 2019. (Have you noticed how the impossibility of knowing, is at the same time both frustrating and liberating?) We don’t know what, but Block 2 just wanted to evolve on its own instead of being blended with the other blocks.
We had a hunch that setting aside block 2 would result in something special. So, from pick to fermentation to press to just four barrels, we kept vigil. Over the next 20 months, we tasted and the hunch became more and more apparent. Enough that when it came time to bottle, these 4 barrels became Cardinal Reserve which has seen a further additional year of bottle aging vs. the quite wonderful-in-its-own-right Cardinal 2019.
It's an amazing experience to taste Cardinal and Cardinal Reserve side by side. It’s like seeing brothers that very similar to each other. But somehow different. And the truth of life is that always one of the them is the more accomplished one. I guess you know which one it is, given the “Reserve” moniker of this wine!
Cardinal Reserve has the deeper nose. Bluer, more focused. Did I say deeper? A world of olfactory spaces opens up, creating a sensation of bigness, but with an ethereal, delicate, complex character. The palate is complex, fresh, crisp and at the same time profoundly satisfying. Mineral without dryness. Tannic without harshness. Velvet of friendship more than seduction. Of sincerity and openness. We’ve made a good choice in setting these barrels aside!
And it’s so unique and original that I’m going to skip the food pairing recommendation, and go with: drink it with somebody important to you.
Cardinal's origin is Paso's oldest surviving Cabernet vineyard. 61 year old vines yielding a scant one-half of one ton of grapes per acre.
Vintage 2019 reviews
Cardinal Reserve has slowly unfurling, detailed scents of maraschino cherry, blueberry, tobacco, dusty earth and dried flowers. The full-bodied palate has generous layers of fruits, earth and floral character. It has a weightless feel due to its powdery tannins and fireworks of fresh acidity, and it has a very long, layered finish. Drink 2025 - 2040.
95 points; Wine Advocate January 2024
The 2019 Cardinal Reserve is rich and darkly floral, smoldering up with a blend of rum-soaked currants, dark chocolate and ashen stones. This is wildly energetic with cooling acidity and mineral tones that excite the palate, as citrus-tinged red berries cascade throughout. It finishes dramatically long, staining the sense with primary concentration, yet maintians fantastic freshness. Today, the Cardinal Reserve is deceptively open for business. Drink 2026 - 2033.
94+ points; Vinous March 2023
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