Winemaker Notes
Gnarly Head Cabernet Sauvignon is King – big, gallant and powerful. This dark, bold Cabernet has solid tannins and jammy fruit, with aromas of black cherry, blackberry, freshly-cracked black peppercorn and floral violet. On the palate, flavors of dense black fruit compote and currant followed by a trio of clove, spice and earth lead to a generous, lingering finish.
Try pairing this Cabernet with grilled lamb skewers, strong cheeses or a spaghetti Bolognese.
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Twisted, head-trained old vines are the inspiration for the Gnarly Head label. This dashing red certainly overdelivers, linking bold notes of blackberry and espresso with sturdy plum-skin tannins. Pencil shavings, dark chocolate, and a meaty core lend layers of depth
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Wine Enthusiast
Full bodied and smartly oaky, this complex and spicy-tasting wine offers rich blackberry and blueberry flavors laced with prominent oak notes of grilled baguette, cardamom and cinnamon. Moderate tannins help keep it in balance.
Covering the most vine acreage in the state compared to any other red wine variety, Cabernet Sauvignon produces as much wine in California as Merlot and Pinot Noir combined. The state’s diverse terrain and microclimates, as well as the freedom of its winemakers, allow for an incredible range of wine styles from this single grape.
California’s most famous region—and especially for Cabernet Sauvignon—is the acclaimed Napa Valley. While Cabernet is successful throughout the world, rarely has it achieved such merit as it does from the Napa Valley. At this point the two are so intrinsically linked that it is difficult to discuss one without the other.
Napa’s closest neighbor, Sonoma County, does an impressive job keeping up with Napa’s fame and glory. Alexander Valley, Sonoma Mountain, Moon Mountain and Knights Valley contribute to the lot of some of California’s top-rated Cabernet Sauvignon.
Lake County in California’s North Coast has become a focus for some of Napa’s more respected growers. From the Central Coast come iconic examples of classic California Cabernet; Lodi and the Sierra Foothills are great budget-friendly sources of amicable Cabernets.