93pts James Suckling

Ripe and bold, with aromas of blackberries, plums, cassis, sweet spices and cedar. The palate is full-bodied with firm yet rounded tannins and balanced acidity, giving flavors of dark cherries, cocoa and tobacco. Generous and rich. Predominantly cabernet sauvignon. Drink or hold.

Jeb Dunnuck

A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc, the 2023 Red Blend JAX Y3 Taureau Red Blend delivers juicy black and blue fruits, peppery herbs, and underbrush. It's medium-bodied, round, plump, and fruit-driven, with a delicious, approachable style. Drink this charming effort over the coming 4-6 years. Drink 2025-2031.

Tasting Notes

Reflecting the dominating character of the Jackson's Y3 Ranch "bull" (translated as Taureau in French), this wine boasts dense purple fruit, flavors of blackberry, black cherry and red raspberry on the palate framed by polished tannins.   Sourced exclusively from premier Napa Valley appellations, this blend is comprised of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.

About the Wine

The name "Taureau" was the name of the Jackson family’s prized bull, legendary for his feisty, high-kicking and vibrant personality. When perfecting this wine at their blending session, the JAX team concurred that the complex personality of their infamous bull reflected the complex structure and elements of this indulgent red blend... and what a perfect tribute to their family ranching legend. 

Our goal with this wine was to produce an approachable, everyday drinking wine with the high quality fruit sourced in Napa Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon provides the backbone and structure of this wine while the lush fruit of the Merlot brings body, texture and balance to the blend. This year we added just a touch of Cabernet Franc which brings aromoas of raspberry, bell pepper, cassis and violets. This unique blend brings out the best of each varietal producing a food friendly wine ready to be paired with a range of foods.

Winery Notes

Brother and sister team, Trent and Kimberly Jackson collaborated with their vintner “green thumb” father to found their first label in 1996.  Over time the two identified their unique niche among next generation wine enthusiasts. Outliers from the dominating short list of old school napa wineries, the two saw an opportunity to buck the “en vogue” winemaking style of their day to focus on the unique terroir of their family vineyard.   After all, “change comes first at a small scale driven by the smaller more nimble producers.”

Soon after, cult Winemaker Kirk Venge was recruited to create balanced wines reflecting varietal character and a sense of place.   Passionate about our vineyard site, integral to our clone and root stalk selections, and now 20 years in, Kirk has reinforced their instinct that focus should always be on “sense of place” to understand the nuances that allow us to make great wine.

To differentiate from their small lot single vineyard Jax line, they launched “Y3” to scale and offer more “true to varietal” wines from various AVAs (spanning Napa and Sonoma).   The “Y3” symbol was the cattle symbol used on their grandparents’ cattle ranch, Yarrayne.  The “3” represents three generations of land tilling entrepreneurs.

In 2013, the siblings recruited a third partner, Dan Parrott, a no nonsense individual with a laser focus on balanced wines (historically working in Italian, French and Spanish import houses) and a true burgundian aficionado.  Dan keeps the sibling rivalry in check and runs Jax like a well oiled machine.

Blend: 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc