Deep garnet with violet highlights that haven't yet faded to the brick-edged rim of age. The nose opens with ripe blackberry, black plum, and cassis layered with dried violet, baker's cocoa, and a whisper of cedar from used French oak that frames without overwhelming. The palate follows the nose honestly: full-bodied but not heavy, with a texture that's rounded and approachable thanks to the Malbec component pulling softness into the blend. Tannins are ripe and well-knit — the harvest timing earned that. Acidity sits brighter than typical California Cab, with pH running low across the board for the vintage, and the finish carries a lingering note of bramble and dark earth. 

The story here is the vintage and the philosophy working in the same direction. 2023 in California was one of the longest growing seasons in over a decade — heavy winter rains, mild summers hovering in the low 70s, and a Cabernet harvest that pushed into late September and October with extended hang time and no heat spikes to force early picking. Skins ripened slowly, color development was deep, and tannin structure set cleanly. For a multi-appellation California blend built on fruit accessibility rather than cellar-driven extraction, that growing season is the difference between a good wine and a very good one. Art+Farm leans into this: Circadia has always been their "true varietal" line — the wines designed to express the grape and the state, not a single vineyard pedigree. The 2023 vintage gave them the raw material to make that argument convincingly. Blend runs approximately 75% Cabernet Sauvignon with Malbec adding plum and texture, Petite Verdot contributing violet and structure at the margins.