2021 Omen Red Blend Sierra Foothills 750 ml

The 2021 Omen Red Blend is a shining tribute to the Sierra Foothills, whose generous sunshine and poor, mineral-rich soils put forth red grapes of deep and complex character. 

This outstanding fruit is drawing California’s best talent out of Napa and into the hills: Andy Erickson (Favia, Harlan, Screaming Eagle) makes his Rompecabezas red wine there. Helen Keplinger (Bryant Family, Kenzo Estate) and Philippe Melka are also making wine in the region. 

Omen’s blend of Zinfandel, Barbera, Syrah, and Petite Sirah delivers textbook California ripeness and complexity that make it ideal to enjoy with a burger, pizza, or on its own, by the (very generous, of course) glass. It was a no-brainer choice for Wine Enthusiast Best Buy honors. 

We spoke with vintner Alexandre Remy while walking one of Omen’s iron-rich source vineyards in the Sierra Foothills, where he told us about how he forged a winemaking career. It was, in large part, because some winery interns in his native (and tradition-bound) France told him he couldn’t—he needed a winemaking degree, they said, while he had one in food science.

“The concept of a challenge is a true motivator for me,” he told us, recalling the spark that set him on his path. “So I took my backpack and traveled the world, going country to country, learning winemaking from scratch, starting by washing equipment and pruning vines, and eventually managing an entire winery.”

That defiance separates Alexandre from many of his peers—and now that he’s discovered some of the best fruit-sourcing values in California, he’s getting it done his way. The result: one delicious red wine.