This red blend contains 5 different varietals: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, and Counoise, all grown in Santa Barbara County. The letter M stands for Margerum and the 5 is a nod to the grape varietals. It is Margerum’s flagship wine and– much like a food recipe– each grape contributes something to the overall wine. The winery describes it as a “Grenache-based wine, in which Syrah adds richness and power, Mourvèdre adds earthy, old world, Counoise adds aromatics of watermelon and Cinsault adds a spice component.”

Primarily made up of estate-grown fruit, Doug Margerum did add some purchased grapes to this M5 blend. Each grape varietal was individually fermented in barrel, then aged in 50% neutral oak puncheons as well as mostly neutral and a few new oak barrels. None of the individual components were ever racked and the wine’s profile was created after blending trials revealed the best grape varietal combination. The finished red wine is seriously versatile– and food pairings are a breeze because I think it would go with just about everything!