The Fableist Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles - 750ml

The Fableist Cabernet Sauvignon is produced from Paso Robles fruit on California's Central Coast, the collaborative project of winemakers Curt Schalchlin of Sans Liege and Andrew Jones of Field Recordings — two producers whose individual reputations in the Central Coast wine community lend considerable credibility to a wine positioned well below their flagship price points. The Fableist takes its name and philosophy from Aesop: just as each fable carries its own moral, each blend is understood to have its own story to tell. Paso Robles has emerged as one of California's most compelling Cabernet Sauvignon appellations, where the combination of calcareous soils, dramatic diurnal temperature variation of up to fifty degrees between day and night, and a warm, Mediterranean-influenced growing season produces a style of Cabernet that is opulent and fruit-forward without sacrificing the structural backbone that distinguishes serious from merely approachable. The calcareous western side of the appellation in particular — first identified as exceptional Cabernet territory by legendary winemaker André Tchelistcheff in the early 1960s — provides the mineral precision that runs through the Fableist's profile beneath its generous surface.

The blend is anchored by a dominant Cabernet Sauvignon component — typically above 85% — with small additions of Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot, and occasionally Petite Sirah rounding the blend's structure and adding mid-palate texture. The wine is produced using modern cellar techniques with a focus on expressing the region's inherent fruit quality at an accessible price point, a balance that Schalchlin and Jones — each deeply familiar with the Central Coast vineyard network through their primary projects — are well-positioned to achieve through careful site selection. The designation #373 references the winery's internal numbering system, each number corresponding to a specific blend and its associated story.

The nose is expressive and fruit-driven — vibrant black currant, dark cherry, cedar, and vanilla arrive first, followed by a layer of blackberry and a subtle eucalyptus note that Central Coast Cabernet characteristically produces. The palate is full and rounded, with concentrated dark fruit, warm oak spice, and a structural backbone from the calcareous soils that carries the wine through a sustained mid-palate to a firm, generous finish. The tannins are ripe and present without hardness, and the close wraps with dark fruit, cedar, and a lingering warmth that reflects both the Paso Robles climate and the care of the blend.