Red wine. California, U.S. "The 2019 Native Red bottling from Skinner Vineyards is composed from a blend of Trousseau, Carignane and Petite Bouschet. The wine is raised in used barrels and comes in at an even thirteen percent octane in this vintage. The bouquet jumps from the glass in a vibrant and complex mix of dark berries, chicory, pomegranate, a touch of tree bark, black tea, woodsmoke and a fine base of soil tones. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, focused and tangy, with an excellent core of fruit, lovely soil signature, ripe tannins and beautiful balance on the long, youthfully complex and energetic finish. I love the backend lift here, as well as the synthesis of sappy fruit and great mineral drive. This is a superb wine and my only complaint with it is that the folks at Skinner have decided to bottle it in clear glass. This allows one to marvel at its beautiful, ruby red color, but given that the wine is built to easily age twenty-five years or more, perhaps a tinted glass more inclined to protect this beautiful wine from ultraviolet radiation would have been more appropriate? But, in any case, this is a unique and totally stellar bottle of red wine!" — 93 Points, John Gilman, View From The Cellar #95 (September / October 2021)