Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
The winemakers call this their Pauillac-style wine, meaning that its character is marked by Cabernet Sauvignon. It's a brilliant wine, vastly deep, imposing and elegant, with a potent mountain flavor of black currant. The estate vineyard is very high in the Mayacamas Mountains, and you can sense the small size of the berries in the wines intensity, the sheer concentration, as well as the tannins—which are hard and tight. Clearly this is a wine that requires time in the cellar.
While Sonoma County is acclaimed—and rightfully so—for its Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs, and Zinfandels, it also produces exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon. Of the region’s 18 American Viticultural Areas, only a handful produce top-notch Cabernet Sauvignon. These appellations include Alexander Valley, Knights Valley, Sonoma Valley and Dry Creek Valley. Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignons made in these appellations can offer a complex array of aromas and flavors. Fruit notes such as blackberry, blackcurrant, cassis, black cherry and raspberry often are accompanied by hints of graphite, dusty earth, cigar box, toast and vanilla. The varietal has a rich history in Sonoma, and some of these Cabernet Sauvignons and Cabernet-based blends rival the best from Napa Valley.