Winemaker Notes
Hopland ranches Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of fruit from our Bliss Vineyard and our Contento Vineyard. Our Contento Ranch is a beautiful, hillside vineyard, which gives this wine its distinct character of concentrated fruit and complex layers. The Bliss Vineyard lends the elegance and dark fruit that older vines bring to a wine. Aromas of blackberry jam with hints of cedar lead into a rich wine with dark chocolate resulting in a long, smooth nish of cinnamon graham cracker and dates.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
A subtle, almost delicate French oak character melds with abundant black-fruit notes and firm fine-grained tannins in this full-bodied but well-balanced wine. It's a great example of what the warmer inland areas of Mendocino can produce.
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.
A large and diverse appellation within California’s North Coast AVA, Mendocino is home to several smaller sub-regions—most notably the Anderson Valley. This scenic region, with rolling hills covered in redwood forests as well as vineyards, is one of the world’s top producers of certified organically-grown grapes. Due to wide geographical and climatic variation, a vast array of wine styles can be found here.