Super Happy Cabernet Sauvignon
Pairs with: Barbecued bone-in ribeye, slow-smoked pork ribs with a tangy glaze, wood-fired pepperoni and sausage pizza, a savory charcuterie board loaded with aged Gouda and prosciutto, or even a rich slice of dark chocolate cake.
Good for: Upgrading a casual game night or casual Friday pizza setup; showing a friend how beautifully California can execute an unexpected, food-friendly "Super Tuscan" style blend; or grabbing a high-value, character-rich red that balances serious winemaking with a totally unpretentious vibe.
Grape: A clever, Super Tuscan-inspired blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (40%), Sangiovese (40%), and Malbec (20%).
I am from: Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara AVA, Central Coast, California, USA.
The Story: Super Happy is a delightfully vibrant, crowd-pleasing project masterminded by Andrew Jones and the fiercely creative team at Field Recordings. Based in Paso Robles, Andrew spent years working as a vine nursery fieldman, traveling the backroads of California and auditing vineyards. Along the way, he developed a legendary reputation for acting as a vinous treasure hunter—spotting underutilized, forgotten, or uniquely positioned vineyard gems across the Central Coast and partnering with growers to bring their fruit to life.
For the "Super Happy" lineup, Andrew and his crew turn their attention to the easternmost pocket of the Santa Ynez Valley: the Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara AVA. This unique region functions as a brilliant natural climate engine. Because it is tucked far inland and shielded by hills, the canyon gets thoroughly baked by intense daytime sun. This heat is crucial for thick-skinned Cabernet Sauvignon and late-ripening Sangiovese and Malbec, allowing them to fully mature, shed any harsh green notes, and develop lush, deep sugar and flavor concentration. However, as the sun dips, the canyon funnels in chilly maritime air and fog from the Pacific Ocean, causing temperatures to plunge and trapping an electric, mouthwatering natural acidity inside the berries.
In the cellar, the team sticks to their signature minimal-intervention, fruit-first philosophy. The grapes are 100% destemmed and fermented in open-top tanks with daily pump-overs to gently manage extraction. After primary fermentation, the wine is pressed into stainless steel to complete malolactic conversion before being transferred into neutral French oak barrels to age for 8 months. By entirely avoiding heavy, sweet new wood, Andrew ensures that the raw, energetic personality of the Happy Canyon fruit arrives in your glass completely unmasked.
Why You'll Love Me: It is bold, brilliantly complex, and remarkably lively—a medium-to-full-bodied red that completely skips syrupy, jammy heaviness in favor of serious structural architecture with a playful side. In the glass, it pours a deep, rich ruby color with dark purple outlines. The nose is a wonderfully expressive and atmospheric playground, instantly bursting with a fragrant bouquet of ripe blackberries, black cherries, and sweet plums, beautifully layered with savory undertones of dried herbs, sweet tobacco leaf, old leather, and a comforting whisper of baking chocolate.
On the palate, it delivers a spectacular tag-team structural ride. The Cabernet Sauvignon anchors the entry, coating the tongue in a dense, dark core of blackcurrant, fig, and dark fruit muscle. Then, the Sangiovese dramatically steps in across the mid-palate, splashing the mouth with a racy, mouthwatering beam of red cherry acidity and a bright rustic tension. Finally, the Malbec swoops in to seamlessly polish the edges, wrapping the blend in soft, plush tannins and a faint hint of violet. It glides effortlessly across the tongue, sailing into a long, elegant finish highlighted by a trailing touch of baking spices and a clean, food-friendly grip.
