Winemaker Notes
The 2019 Kamen Estate Cabernet offers a dazzling array of aromatics. Raspberry pie, strawberry compote, espresso bean, candied cherries and marzipan are at the forefront. As the wine evolves in the glass, beautiful notes of violets and lavender pop, elevating the opulent fruit. Notes of new suede, black cardamom and dark chocolate add complexity to the layers. The flavors are sumptuous and wrapped in an envelope of mouthwatering minerality. A framework of seamless tannins complete this incredibly balanced wine and the finish is layered and savory.
Professional Ratings
-
Vinous
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is mostly Martini clone from the core of the estate. A heady, ample wine, the 2019 is endowed with striking opulence. Blackberry jam, chocolate, spice, new leather, licorice and mocha shows tremendous depth. Attractive floral notes emerge with a bit of aeration, adding brightness. The contours are remarkably soft for a young mountain Cabernet. These wines age beautifully, their youthful opulence notwithstanding, so I would not be in a rush here.
-
James Suckling
A wine with beautiful purity and focus that is starting to show some tertiary aromas of dried herbs, leather and cedar. A full body with sumptuous ripe red fruit and medium-chewy tannins. There is certainly plenty of life in this wine, which will drink nicely for another five years or more.
-
Wine Spectator
Alluring, with steeped plum and cassis notes cruising through, backed by lively licorice snap, bramble and sweet tobacco accents. A long echo of singed alder permeates on the finish. Best from 2023 through 2034.
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.
Covering the western slopes of the Mayacamas Mountains, facing the city of Sonoma, Moon Mountain District is one of Sonoma’s newest sub-appellations. Here the well-drained, red volcanic and ash soils produce hauntingly intense red wines, mainly from Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux varieties.