Extreme Value Red By Kirk Venge - JAX Y3 Cabernet Sauvignon

I’m going to start the conversation by saying the 2017 JAX Y3 Cabernet Sauvignon will go down as one of my top California Cab finds of 2020. Just 1,800 cases produced and Kirk Venge is the winemaker. 

I don’t think this one’s received any press yet, but I’d give it a solid 93 point score. With great concentration, rich and opulent Cabernet fruit, and round and supple and silky texture, this is a Kirk Venge wine all the way.

2017 JAX Y3 Cabernet Sauvignon North Coast

93 points Josh Spurling 

To place your order, stop by the store or click here to order in our online store. 

Kirk Venge is a busy and ambitious guy. In addition to running his own eponymous estate, he consults and makes wines for a number of other wineries in Napa and Sonoma. But regardless of where he’s making wines, there is a consistency to his methods and to his finished red wines. They’re all flashy, flamboyant and pleasure-bent wines that please lots of palates.

This is just the second vintage of this wine ever produced and it’s triumphant. Boasting a deep and opaque color, it boasts a killer nose of dark berry liqueur, cocoa nib, cedar and spice box. And the “awesomeness” continues on the palate with full bodied flavors and seamless concentration. Translated, it’s big and bold, but it’s smooth and silky.

But there’s more to the JAX equation than just Kirk Venge. Everything produced by JAX is hand-harvested, family-owned and earth-friendly. Established in 1996 by father and son David and Trent Jackson, they made their first wine from David’s dry-farmed vineyard in Calistoga. In 2003, Trent’s sister Kimberly joined the family business and her first major move was the hiring of Kirk Venge. Today, this dream team produces wines from various sites scattered throughout Napa, Sonoma and Lake Counties (aka the North Coast).

Let me sum it up. Kirk Venge-made Cabernet Sauvignon for less than $25, a great family run operation, a great Cabernet vintage in California, and plenty of cold winter nights ahead of us. You do the math, but don’t spend too much time doing so. This is one of those stellar deals we see just a couple times each year and this one will fly.

To place your order, stop by the store or click here to order in our online store.