Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
This Sonoma Mountain winery changed hands in 2011. This garnet-purple beauty, the first effort from winemaking team Randall Watkins and consultant David Ramey, offers up dry – and not especially round – tannins and minerality. The palate opens up to a spreading brownie cake melt away effect along the tongue. At its very core is sagebrush and tobacco, a dollop of white pepper dots the juicy red cherry along the earthy pat. Power and beauty play together in counterpoint.
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Wine Enthusiast
This is made from the winery's estate vineyard, but from lots not included in the main blend, which costs twice as much. You'll find plenty of tannins in this darkly colored, impressively concentrated 100% Cabernet. It's fresh, soft and juicy in blackberry and cherry jam flavors, with a rich earthiness. Editors' Choice.
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.