Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
Dense, rich red fruit belies an elegant wine that finds balance despite the concentration of vanilla and berry. Soft, approachable and integrated tannin and oak let the whole exist as one, instead of separate parts. This shows off the appellation's mountain fruit and rocky minerality.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Latro from Knight’s Valley exhibits a more opaque purple color as well as more meaty characteristics intermixed with blackberry and cassis fruit. This unfined and unfiltered 100% Cabernet Sauvignon spent 19 months in 50% new French oak. Coffee bean, lead pencil shavings, chocolate, forest floor, underbrush and blackcurrant notes emerge from this medium to full-bodied, plump, supple Cabernet. Consume it now and over the next 10-15 years. Rating: 90+
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.