Sanctuary Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
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Winemaker Notes
This wine offers aromas of blueberries, ripe black cherries, and plums, with notes of cola spice and caramel. On the palate, it is full-bodied with soft, lingering tannins -- showing notes of black fruit, allspice, and sweet oak.
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Vibrant and luscious with a creamy texture; tangy plum with hints of vanilla and toasty oak; a premium and well-balanced wine from the Fetzer people.
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Wine Spectator
Elegant and pleasantly understated, with a supple mix of creamy oak, currant, black licorice and dark berry flavors, maintaining a mix of charm and finesse. Drink now through 2030.
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2019-
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Wilfred
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Wilfred
Wong
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Wilfred
Wong
A confluence of characteristics—soil, climate, elevation, sun exposure—creates a harmonious interplay between grape variety and vineyard site. The right terroir can bring a specific grape to its ultimate expression, making the vineyard a sanctuary.
Our winemaker seeks iconic sites, farmed by generations of experts who intuitively understand how to coax pure varietal character from the vines. In the glass, Sanctuary presents classically styled wines that reflect their distinct origins. These wines include a Chardonnay from the Russian River Valley, a Pinot Noir from the Santa Maria Valley, and a Cabernet Sauvignon from the Rutherford Bench.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
The Rutherford sub-region of Napa Valley centers on the town of Rutherford and covers some of Napa Valley’s finest vineyard real estate, spanning from the Mayacamas in the west, to the Vaca Mountains on the other side of the valley.
Inside of the Rutherford AVA, bordering the Mayacamas, is a stretch of uplands called the Rutherford Bench. (These bench lands technically run the length of Oakville as well). Mountain runoff creates deep, well-drained, alluvial soils on the bench, giving vine roots plenty of reason to permeate deep into the ground. The result is wine with great structure and complexity.
Rutherford Cabernet Sauvingons and Bordeaux Blends garner substantial attention for their enticing fragrances of dusty earth and dried herbs, broad and juicy mid-palates and lush and fine-grained tannins. The sub-appellation claims some of the valley’s most prized vineyards today, namely Caymus, Rubicon and Beckstoffer Georges III.
It is also home to Napa’s most influential and historic personalities. Thomas Rutherford, responsible for the appellation's name, made serious investments here in grape growing and wine production between the years of 1850 to 1880. Gustave Niebaum purchased a large swath of land and completed his winery in 1887, calling it “Inglenook.” Today this remains the oldest bonded winery in California. Georges Latour founded Beaulieu Vineyard in 1900, making it the oldest continuous winery in the state. Latour also hired the famous enologist, André Tchelistcheff, a man credited for single-handedly defining the modern Napa winemaking style.