Winemaker Notes
#84 James Suckling Top 100 Wines of the USA 2025
This wine opens with sultry aromas of dark plum and crème de cassis with a hint of lavender. The palate is plush and structured with layers of dark fruit, nicely integrated oak and rich, velvety tannins.
Pair with pork tenderloin and cherry compote, or grilled New York steak with a demi-glace for an ultra-decadent meal.
Blend: 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Malbec, 9% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
The five Bordeaux grapes give this wine a true icon in California winemaking its name. From its inky black-carmine hue to its dusty, teeth-gripping nature, it's a muscle-bound athlete. A dynamic foundation of graphite and new leather wrapped in plum skin, espresso, and violets reveals its depth.
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James Suckling
This long-running Bordeaux-style blend is a classic, reserve-style wine that’s dense, layered and polished, but also deep and long. Blended from some of Foley group’s best barrels using grapes from all around Sonoma County. Savory, floral and lavender aromas, with graphite, dark chocolate and creme de cassis flavors that expand on the palate and linger on the finish. 73% cabernet sauvignon, plus merlot, cabernet franc, malbec and petit verdot. Sustainable. Drinkable now, but best from 2029.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Purple/black-hued, the 2022 Cinq Cepages has a more complete feel and offers more purity as well as depth, with notes of lavender oils, blackberry liqueur, dark chocolate, polished leather, and sage. Full-bodied, it floats on the palate with velvety tannins, even freshness, and good length.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Home to a diverse array of smaller AVAs with varied microclimates and soil types, Sonoma County has something for every wine lover. Physically twice as large as Napa Valley, the region only produces about half the amount of wine but boasts both tremendous quality and variety. With its laid-back atmosphere and down-to-earth attitude, the wineries of Sonoma are appreciated by wine tourists for their friendliness and approachability. The entire county intends to become a 100% sustainable winegrowing region by 2019.
Sonoma County wines are produced with carefully selected grape varieties to reflect the best attributes of their sites—Dry Creek Valley’s consistent sunshine is ideal for Zinfandel, while the warm Alexander Valley is responsible for rich, voluptuous red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are important throughout the county, most notably in the cooler AVAs of Russian River, Sonoma Coast and Carneros. Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Syrah have also found a firm footing here.