2021 Leviathan Red Wine California 750 ml

Twenty years ago, Andy Erickson put out the first vintage of Leviathan, a bold, small-lot passion project that refused to play by the rules. Ever since, wine lovers wanting to taste the best of a California vintage—captured affordably in a single bottle—have been chasing Leviathan.

“At $40 a bottle, the appropriately named Leviathan is one of the best values in California,” says Vinous founder Antonio Galloni. The blend came about when Andy took what he’d learned at a matchless roster of estates—like Screaming Eagle, Arietta, Dalla Valle, Harlan, Ovid, Saintsbury, Spottswoode, Staglin, and Hartwell—then leveraged his connections to source the finest grapes from throughout California. 

Galloni flipped for the 2021, calling it “one of the best editions of Leviathan I can remember tasting. The purity of the flavors is just remarkable…[it’s] a gorgeous wine that over-delivers on all counts.” 

Erickson works in partnership with his wife, the renowned viticulturist Annie Favia, whose own resume includes work with John Kongsgaard, Cathy Corison, and David Abreu. For the couple, who were once featured on the cover of Wine Spectator, the most coveted fruit in Napa is a mere phone call or handshake-deal away. 

Drinking the 2021 is like taking a tour of Northern California’s volcanic hillsides: Fruit from Rancho Salina Vineyard in Sonoma County’s Moon Mountain AVA, plus Obsidian Ridge and Wild Diamond Vineyard in Lake County’s Red Hills AVA, joins with grapes from the Faust Vineyard in Napa Valley’s Coombsville AVA. This tapestry is woven together during 15 months in 100% French oak (25% new), adding the sumptuousness and spice that are Leviathan trademarks.