Skipstone Faultline Red Blend

Skipstone Faultline Red Blend is a Cabernet Franc-dominated Bordeaux-style red from Alexander Valley, California, bottled at 15% ABV in a 750ml format. Averaging 94.1 points on CellarTracker across multiple vintages, this estate-grown cuvée draws its character from vineyards planted directly atop the Mayacamas Faultline, yielding a diversity of soil types rarely found on a single property.

Quick Facts: ABV: 15%  |  Origin: Alexander Valley, Sonoma County, California  |  Style: Bordeaux-Style Red Blend  |  Winery: Skipstone Ranch

Production & Heritage

Skipstone Ranch sits along the Mayacamas Faultline in Alexander Valley, where geological upheaval has created a patchwork of soil types across the estate's vineyard blocks. Each block contributes a distinct flavor dimension to the final blend. The Faultline cuvée leads with Cabernet Franc — typically comprising the majority of the blend — supported by varying proportions of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Malbec depending on the vintage. The 2014 vintage, for example, was 59% Cabernet Franc, 24% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 6% Malbec, while the 2018 shifted to include 41% Merlot. All fruit is estate-grown, hand-sorted, and then precision optical-sorted berry by berry before fermentation. The wine spends 22 days on the skins to extract color and concentration before pressing.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: The nose opens with soft, inviting fragrances of blueberries and blackberries, building toward deeper layers of violets and graphite. Subtle notes of lemongrass and tobacco add a savory dimension beneath the fruit.

Taste: The entry is juicy and fruit-forward, with ripe raspberries and dark berries meeting herbal complexity at mid-palate. As the wine develops, espresso, chocolate, and loamy soil emerge alongside well-structured, lush tannins. The blend's medium-to-full body carries bright acidity that keeps the 15% ABV in balance.

Finish: Long and layered, with dusty, fine-grained tannins that frame lingering notes of spice, dark fruit, and a pleasing earthiness. The finish resolves cleanly, leaving behind hints of blue fruit and espresso.

How to Drink Faultline Red Blend

This wine shows best at cellar temperature (60–65°F) with 30 to 60 minutes of decanting to let the complex aromatics fully open. It rewards patient sipping on its own, but also holds up well in food-pairing contexts. For a Cabernet Franc Sangria, the wine's dark fruit and herbal notes create an unusually sophisticated base. In a Red Wine Reduction for steak, the espresso and earthy undertones intensify beautifully. A classic Mulled Wine preparation also works, where the blend's spice and berry character meld naturally with warming aromatics.

Best For

• Gifting a wine enthusiast who appreciates Right Bank Bordeaux-inspired California blends
• Pairing with a slow-cooked or grilled red meat dinner
• Adding a serious Cabernet Franc-led expression to a cellar collection
• Hosting a comparative tasting of Alexander Valley estate wines

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Faultline Red Blend taste like? Skipstone Faultline delivers ripe blueberry, blackberry, and raspberry fruit layered with espresso, chocolate, tobacco, and earthy soil tones. Dusty tannins, bright acidity, and a medium-to-full body give it structure without heaviness.

How does Faultline Red Blend compare to Right Bank Bordeaux? Skipstone explicitly models the Faultline cuvée on the Cabernet Franc and Merlot-driven blends of Pomerol and Saint-Émilion, though the warmer Alexander Valley climate produces riper fruit, higher alcohol (15% ABV), and more generous body than most Right Bank wines. Both share an emphasis on elegance, earthy complexity, and fine tannin structure.

Is Faultline Red Blend good for sipping neat? Yes — the wine's layered aromatics, balanced acidity, and fine tannins make it an excellent choice for thoughtful, unhurried drinking on its own, especially after a brief decant.

Where is Faultline Red Blend made? Skipstone Faultline is produced entirely from estate-grown fruit at Skipstone Ranch in Alexander Valley, Sonoma County, California. The vineyard sits atop the Mayacamas Faultline, a geological feature that creates the diverse soil profile central to the wine's character.

What foods pair well with Faultline Red Blend? Grilled lamb chops complement the wine's herbal and earthy dimensions. Braised short ribs echo its dark fruit richness. Aged Gouda or Comté match the tannin structure and chocolate undertones. Mushroom risotto highlights the loamy soil notes. Dark chocolate desserts pair naturally with the espresso and spice on the finish.

What sizes does Faultline Red Blend come in? Skipstone Faultline Red Blend is available in the standard 750ml bottle.

Is Faultline Red Blend worth the price? Skipstone Faultline positions as a premium estate wine, reflecting the cost of meticulous viticulture — including optical berry-by-berry sorting — and small-lot production from a single Alexander Valley vineyard. Its consistent 94-point CellarTracker average suggests strong value within the premium Sonoma Bordeaux-blend category.

Why Faultline Red Blend?

What separates Skipstone Faultline from the broader field of California Bordeaux-style reds is its geological starting point. The Mayacamas Faultline beneath the estate has fractured the terrain into a mosaic of soil types, giving the winemaking team an unusually wide palette of flavors from a compact vineyard. The decision to lead the blend with Cabernet Franc — rather than Cabernet Sauvignon, as most California producers do — signals a deliberate stylistic choice toward the aromatics and structure of the Right Bank. Berry-by-berry optical sorting and a 22-day maceration period reflect a production approach focused on precision over volume. The result is a wine that consistently earns critical recognition while remaining distinctly tied to its site.