Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
From an estate vineyard on Cloverdale Peak and an 80/20 split of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Pine Mountain has a rocking bouquet of crème de cassis, violets, lots of crushed rock-like minerality, and underbrush. This carries to a medium to full-bodied, elegant Cabernet with silky tannins, beautiful balance, and lush, layered style on the palate. It's a terrific wine as well as a great value in California Cabernet Sauvignon.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Pine Mountain comes from vines planted at an elevation of about 2,900 feet. Blended with 20% Merlot and matured in 50% new French oak for 20 months, it has a deep ruby color and pure scents of red and black currants, thyme, tobacco leaves and a waft of vanilla. The palate is medium-bodied with restrained fruits, grainy tannins and integrated freshness, finishing with an appealing herbal lift. Best After 2022
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.
One of the highest growing appellations in California as well as the smallest, Pine Mountain incidentally extends into both Sonoma and Mendocino counties. Its vineyards range from 1,600 to about 3,000 feet in elevation at the top of Pine Mountain.