YoungInglewood Winery
2013 YoungInglewood Right Bank Blend – A Birthday Treat!
Photo from YoungInglewood Website
The Winery
This small winery is best-known for their Cabernet Sauvignon and “Bordeaux blends”, as they are situated on historic vineyard land in St. Helena, California. However, they’ve got a passion for several white wines like Chardonnay, Vin Clair and a rare Aligoté that is oak aged. One of the most enjoyable aspects of visiting YoungInglewood Winery is not just the tasting of exquisite wines, but partaking in intelligent, purposed and thoughtful discussion of wine.
To begin with, the owners Jim and Jacky Young met while in college and shared a passion/drive with wine. Jim and Jacky bought a historic piece of land in southern St Helena and have today all five Bordeaux varietals planted. It is truly a family winery with Jim handling the operations and Jacky and son Scott, being the co-winemakers on property. Their daughter, Mary helps in the operations as well as providing an occasional flute recital.
Their time spent in Europe cultivated a real sense of old-world wines and that is exactly how they construct both their red and white wines. They like to describe themselves as presenting “old world non-interventionist” winemaking techniques. It surely shows in their incredible wines.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
I seldom talk about wine labels but theirs is the exception. This label is one of the simplest yet says so much about their wine with the balancing of the tightrope walker. This is a paradigm for balance in the fruit, tannins, acidity and color. A little too much of any one item, and a misstep happens. Even deeper is their aspiring sense of balance in life, starting in the vineyards with organic and sustainable practices.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
You can read previous stories:
https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2016/02/16/younginglewood/
https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2021/04/06/younginglewood-2014-malbec-and-portuguese-sausage/
The Wine – “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Pulled this bottle out of the cellar the other night to enjoy watching a movie on my birthday. While the movie was entertaining (Made in Italy on Amazon), the wine shined from the ten years wait! The wine is from their estate fruit. Barreling was 100% French oak with 40% being new barrels and aged 21 months. The blend used 86% Cabernet Franc and 14% Cabernet Sauvignon and only 136 cases produced. It came in at 14.5% alcohol level. Each year the percentage mix and grapes are varied based on the winemaker and what nature provides.
On the eyes an alluring and dark concoction with red and purple highlights with medium to medium-heavy viscosity. On the nose aromatics of raspberries and dark fruits. On the palate, this is one of the quintessential Cabernet Franc’s with hints of blackberries, strawberries and only a faint trace of pyrazines. The finish provided silky and rounded tannins, a soft earthiness. Truly a remarkable and elegant Cabernet Franc. The current vintage is 2022 and it retails for $130/bottle.
No food and wine pairing as we were still recovering from a large lunch compliments of my sister!
This wine will make my list for Best Wines Tasted in 2026 for sure. Treat yourself to a visit to YoungInglewood Winery as each wine is purposed and handcrafted. It was indeed a beautiful birthday treat!
Sláinte,
Michael Kelly
Christmas Cheer Dinner Party and a Few Selected Wines!
photo ©Michael Kelly
Background
Held our annual Christmas party with neighborhood friends joining. We provided appetizers and main dish with each couple bringing a wide range and assortment of delicious foods. Each couple also brought a bottle of wine, and I had pulled a few in advance to enjoy.
Château de Bligny Grand Reserve Brut Champagne
photo ©Michael Kelly
Château de Bligny is a historic estate in the Aube region of Champagne, France, famous as the only grower-producer château in the Champagne appellation, producing its own unique Champagnes from its vineyards. Established in the 15th century with later additions, it boasts a rich winemaking heritage, including still wines and sparkling varieties (Blanc de Blancs, Rosé) from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes, known for their freshness, fruitiness, and minerality. In a recent lecture on Champagne, the speaker mentioned it is much more difficult to produce a non-vintage Champagne as opposed to a vintage one. This Brut Grand Reserve has been our go to Champagne for years now! The price is very reasonably set at around $40-48/bottle. This wine routinely makes my annual list of Best Wines Tasted in the year for the under $50/bottle category. Here is a link to previous story on the wine: https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2020/04/25/chateau-de-bligny-grand-reserve-brut-champagne/
2009 Viader (Proprietary Blend)
photo ©Michael Kelly
Made from 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Cabernet Franc (my idea of a solid blend), it makes the apex of a Napa Valley Bordeaux. Smooth, dry and complex in tannins, and as stated in their notes “balancing acidity and an incredible array of flavors, including blackberry, black currant, cherry, chocolate, dried herb, smoky oak and spice amounting to an important and hard to define quality of sophistication.
The current vintage is the 2021 with ratings ranging from 95 to 98 points. It is 71% Cabernet Sauvignon and 29% Cabernet Franc and goes for $195/bottle at the winery. Any year I open a bottle of this wine, it makes my list of Best Wines Tasted in the over $51/bottle. Here is link to a previous story written on Viader: https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2018/09/24/viader-vineyards-winery-walk-in-my-steps-but-leave-your-own-footprint/
2008 O’Shaughnessy Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon
photo ©Michael Kelly
Having had a bottle of this wine in November of 2025, I decided to bring another bottle out this evening. First on the eyes striking combination of inky purple and dark crimson coloring. Viscosity was medium-heavy. Once the cork was popped it took a while for the flavors to “open up” and express their pedigree after so many years of hibernation. Once opened, fresh blackberries and smooth blueberries filled the olfactory senses. On the palate, the dark fruits combined to make a robust compote of pure fruit. Full bodied possessing strong enjoyable tannins without any pointiness. The finish concluded being opulent and richly rewarding.
Parker also mentioned it will age 25+ years! Rated 98 points by Robert Parker and has been aging in the cellar for 14 years! Searching on the internet average price today appears to be $149/bottle. Today’s current vintage at the winery is their 2021 and is allocated at $160/bottle. This wine will make my annual Best Wines Tasted Listing for 2025 (list comes out December for each year).
Here is link to the O’Shaughnessy story recently written: https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2025/11/24/2008-oshaughnessy-estate-winery-mount-veeder-cabernet-sauvignon-a-special-wine/
Notice the corks on both the Viader and O’Shaughnessy wines! They are pristine and sealed snuggly and sealed for years, due to being stored correctly. BTW, those two wines were open seven hours before the meal, filtered twice and decanted twice before serving.
photo ©Michael Kelly
We enjoy many other wines this evening from locations beyond France and Napa Valley such as Livermore Valley, Lodi, Paso Robles and Calaveras County.
Sláinte and Merry Christmas,
Michael Kelly
https://californiawinesandwineries.com
https://champagnechateaudebligny.com/en/homepage
https://oshaughnessywinery.com/
https://woodfamilyvineyards.com
https://www.younginglewood.com