Riper and substantially more expressive than the 2018, Fortunate Son's 2019 Red Wine The Diplomat is a plush, luscious wine, laden with black cherries, mocha and loam notes. It's full-bodied, rich, velvety and supple, with a lingering finish. Like the previous vintage, it's mainly Cabernet Sauvignon, with a fair whack of Merlot.
BOW (8.50)
Fortunate Son is a Jayson Woodbridge/Hundred Acre offshoot, made using contracted fruit (but which in the past has also included some bits from Hundred Acre lots). Now run by Jayson's son, Cameron, the winery facility is in St. Helena, on the site of the historic David Fulton Winery (established 1860, the first in St. Helena).
Decanter (97)
Elegant, ephemeral, and expansive. Showing exceptional polish in the glass and revealing mounds of juicy, crunchy red cherry fruit and a wash of compellingly sweet and savoury baking spices. An open-knit structure affords juicy, crunchy acidity to lift the deliciously pure red fruit. A blend of Cabernet with Merlot and Petite Sirah, the Merlot lends an almost claret-like quality to this sophisticated and seamless blend, which builds to an elegant medium-bodied finish of crushed red flowers and river stones. Jayson Woodbridge, the founder of Hundred Acre, purchased the David Fulton Vineyard in St. Helena on Fulton Lane, and a winery on site is now the home of Fortunate Son and 6ha of Cabernet Sauvignon vines managed by Jim Barbour. Woodbridge appointed his son Cameron as cellar master in 2023. Woodbridge acquired a second estate vineyard for the Fortunate Son label in 2022 called Larkmead Vineyards. The 7.5ha ranch has been renamed True Romance and will serve as the site of a future Fortunate Son winery and estate slated to open in 2027.
