Winemaker Notes
The Monte Rosso Cabernet Sauvignon was handcrafted from specifically chosen blocks on the historic Monte Rosso Vineyard, some of which are the oldest Cabernet blocks in California. The wine unveils aromas of toasted coconut and cedar and decadent notes black cherry and macerated berries and long, silky tannins. The unmistakable Monte Rosso spice makes its presence known in the form of cloves, cinnamon, and sage.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Ripe, focused and nicely structured, this full-bodied wine wraps delicious, tangy red cherries and plump black cherries in rather firm tannins, keeping them fresh for longer aging. The wine's oak spices are subtle and well integrated with the concentrated fruit flavors. This wine will drink best from 2028 through 2040.
Cellar Selection -
James Suckling
Aromas of currants, blackberries, vanilla, walnuts and cedar. It’s full-bodied with firm, polished tannins. Plush, supple and textured with a deep core of dark fruit and spice. Vanilla, too. Rich and flavorful. Big, chewy wine. Try from 2023.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A barrel sample with a deep garnet-purple color, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Monte Rosso Vineyard offers up notions of baked blackcurrants, warm plums and boysenberries with hints of tar, new leather, wild sage and lavender. Full-bodied, the palate is solidly constructed with firm, grainy tannins and a lively backbone, finishing long and layered.
Barrel Sample: (92 - 94)+ -
Wine Spectator
Well-built, with a dense core of red and black currant reduction flavors held in check for now, while iron-tinged sweet tobacco, warm earth and singed apple wood notes hold sway. Packs a muscular, racy structure that drives underneath, so just give this a bit more time to fully meld. Rock-solid, though.
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.