John Gilman 93
"...This is a unique and totally stellar bottle of red wine!"

Uniquely Californian: In the summer months, serve it with a chill as a refreshing and versatile red for barbecues and picnics. In the cooler weather, serve it at a regular temp and it becomes a bigger, fuller-bodied wine. The Skinner Family wanted to make a wine that, perhaps, cannot be made anywhere else. And so was born their Native Red, a tribute to their original brand name, J. Skinner Native Wines, one of California's first wineries dating back to 1861! The 2019 is a blend of old-vine Mission, Petite Bouschet, Trousseau, Carignan along with Cinsault, Grenache, Counoise, Mourvdre, Marsanne, Zinfandel and Viognier. Native is made entirely by co-fermentation: all of these varietals were harvested and fermented together, dominated by their old-vine Legacy block from their estate (namely, Trousseau, Petite Bouschet, Mission and Carignan). Native yeast fermentation with the remontage technique, and their aim is to produce a wine that sings the praises of the terroir from whence it came. Gently pressed, settled, and sent to barrel for 10 months. Racked and returned in the spring, and bottled just before harvest. This is a unique and versatile red, pairing well with a wide range of foods!

Full review from John Gilman:
93 pts: "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 pts."