Desire Lines Evangelho Vineyard Red 2023
(Contra Costa County, California) - [VM 95]

About the Winery:
A desire line is a path made by the one walking it. It’s often a path that diverts from the main trail, whether through an empty field to get from one street to another or a straight line up a mountain made by someone too impatient for switchbacks.

We—Cody and Emily Rasmussen— made California our home in 2011, three months after graduating college and two months after getting married. We made the first wine of our very own in 2014, and so began Desire Lines Wine Co.

Our winemaking path is guided by our vineyard sources, spanning 400+ miles across the expanse of Northern California. We go wherever a fascinating vineyard hooks us in and inspires us – these are sites that produce vibrant and singular wines that speak compellingly of place and time. From Riesling in the single-vineyard Cole Ranch AVA to 1890s-planted vines in Contra Costa County, our vineyards are the most important part of our wines: so much so that our labels feature the vineyard name as the largest text on the bottle along with a hand-drawn illustration of the vineyard.

Desire Lines wines are inspired by pioneering California winemakers and their coming-of-age wines from the 1970s and 80s – Cody describes this philosophy as “neo-classical” though Emily maintains that isn’t a sensible way to describe winemaking. What this looks like in the cellar is native yeast fermentations, lots of whole-cluster use in many of our reds, barrel fermentation for our whites, and aging in primarily neutral oak and large format barrels.

It’s a great joy to be able to share these wines with others, like crossing paths on a trail and getting to chat for a minute about how great the view is from here.

About the Wine:
Own-rooted, 1890s-planted vines in over thirty feet of pure sand: this is Evangelho. These sandy soils imbue the wines with distinctively suave and fine-grained tannins, and the vineyard’s location in the San Joaquin River Delta balances warm summer sun with an onrush of coastal winds that begin a little before lunchtime each day. In 2023, the extended growing season at Evangelho Vineyard allowed for additional hang-time on the vine, which brings an entirely new dimension of richness and intensity to the wine. The wine is still fresh and focused, with cherry liqueur and blood orange soaring from the glass accented by rose petal, mint, and cedar, but with extra fruit weight on the palate. It’s a bit like someone tipped in an extra bit of demi-glace while making a pan sauce. This is without a doubt our best wine from Evangelho Vineyard yet – an iconic wine from an iconic vineyard.                               

Ratings & Reviews

95 Points - Vinous Media:
"The 2023 Evangelho Vineyard is a gorgeous, elegant wine from this well-known site in Contra Costa County. A blend of 90% Carignan and 10% Mourvèdre, the 2023 exudes varietal character and class from start to finish. Bright red-toned fruit, blood orange, cinnamon, rose petal and pomegranate are some of the many notes that open with a bit of coaxing. Floral top notes and brisk acids bring it all to a close on the beautifully persistent finish. Superb. (Drink between 2026-2038)" - Antonio Galloni (Feb 2025)