70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot

Food pairings: A well-seasoned roast leg of lamb, steak, braised beef, burgers, roasted mushrooms and aged cheeses, and casual barbecues.

Winemaking: Made by winemaker Matt Dees, the 2021 was aged 22 months in French oak, 55% new and 45% neutral, from coopers including Taransaud, Sylvain, Bel Air and Dejarnac, and bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Vineyards and terroir: The Paring is made from vineyard blocks of the acclaimed JONATA and The Hilt estates in Santa Barbara County that are either too young or do not fit a given vintage's style for those wines. The Red draws on Ballard Canyon in the Santa Ynez Valley, where warm days and cool nights deliver bold fruit and refreshing acidity, blended with Northern California fruit for depth and structure; sandy soils and a slightly cooler climate shape its focused fruit and shapely tannins.

Family and history: The Paring was born in 2006, named after the chef's versatile paring knife, to explore and experiment without rules. Winemaker Matt Dees, who holds a soil science degree from the University of Vermont and worked vintages at Staglin in Napa and Craggy Range in New Zealand, also makes the wines of JONATA and The Hilt.

In the pictures: Winemaker Matt Dees at the winery; and a vineyard of The Hilt estate in Santa Barbara County (photos courtesy of The Paring).