Winemaker Notes
A Bordeaux-style blend, Innovant captures the elegance and distinct character of Sonoma County terroir. Carefully selected lots of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from our Alexander Valley vineyards offer aromas of bright red fruits and spice. Flavors of blueberry and peppercorn combined with silky, elegant tannins give this wine a structured, long finish.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2014 Innovant Red Wine is beautiful, with a ripe, upfront, charming style that’s hard to not drink. Plums, black cherries, leady herbs and a kiss of graphite all emerge from this medium to full-bodied, nicely concentrated, textured effort that still holds onto the firm, age-worthy style present in all these releases. This beauty can safely be drunk anytime over the coming 10-12 years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2014 Red Wine Innovent is a little closed at this youthful stage, revealing notes of roses, blackberries and cassis over notions of bay leaves, spice box and cedar. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is taut and firmly structured, yet approachable, with generous fruit and nice ripe, grainy tannins, finishing long and lively.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
An excellent example of an Alexander Valley red wine, the 2014 Captûre Innovant exhibits zippy red fruit aromas and flavors that are nicely combined with a hint of chalkiness. Pair this wine with a savory roast chicken. (Tasted: October 30, 2017, San Francisco, CA)
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.
Nearly a northern extension of Napa Valley, Alexander Valley starts just north of the small, Knights Valley, and is just a few minutes drive from the Napa town of Calistoga. It is Sonoma County’s hottest AVA. But the Russian River, which runs through the valley, creates cooler pockets and its soft, alluvial soil is ideal for grape growing, especially Cabernet Sauvignon. In fact, some believe that Alexander Valley Cabernets truly rival the best from Napa Valley and many of the heavy-hitter producers have largely invested here.
In addition to Cabernet Sauvignon, which makes up over 50% of plantings, Merlot and old vine Zinfandel thrive here. Ample, fleshy Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc dominate white wine production. Some old-vine plantings of Grenache have also been discovered and more recent experiments with Sangiovese and Barbera show great promise.