Brea Wine Company isn’t your typical Paso Robles winery. In fact, it’s not even IN Paso, being a collaboration between Chris Brockway, the natural-wine maestro behind Broc Cellars in Berkeley, and Tim Elenteny, the logistics whiz of Elenteny Imports in NYC. Their shared mission? To craft site-specific, terroir-driven wines that feel thoughtful, approachable, and most importantly, wallet-friendly for people who’d rather drink wine than collect it.

The 2023 Brea Margarita Cabernet Sauvignon is as delightful as it is delicious. Not too big, not too small, just right.

The fruit comes from the Margarita Vineyards, south of Paso Robles in the general direction of the town of Santa Margarita. A mere 15 miles (and two mountain ridges) from the Pacific Ocean, it gets warm during the day but cools down overnight, which is just what the grapes want. It is a SiP Certified (Sustainable in Practice) vineyard, so the grapes and the people around them are healthy. The wine is aged for 20 months in 100% used French oak barrels so its texture is kind of silky without the wine tasting like an oak barrel. Recommended for sipping on its own (or perhaps some cheese?) or accompanying food. Not a good pairing with Nashville Hot Chicken, Szechwan cuisine, or cigars (unless they have Maduro wrappers).