Winemaker Notes
The 2021 Cabernet is generous and full of power. 7% Merlot is blended in to add some blue fruit characters to the classic cassis, maraschino cherry and notes of flint. The palate has generous velvety mountain tannins (a hallmark of our estate vineyard) and dense black fruit blackberry, cherry and cedary spice. This is all balanced by a hint of coffee and chocolate to entice another sip.
Blend: 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This plush and potent Cabernet offers aromas of black plum, coffee and mint leaves on the nose. The palate brings more black fruit, fresh-cut flowers and a wealth of gripping tannin. This wine is tailor-made for hearty fare like braised beef short ribs and will improve with age for at least a decade.
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.