WA94: 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.

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). The 15 acres of vineyards there were replanted in 2021.