Winemaker Notes
Blend: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Malbec, 3% Cabernet Franc, 3% Merlot, 2% Petite Verdot, 2% Petite Sirah
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Beautiful aromas of blackcurrants, ink and some black truffle. Medium-bodied, linear and tight with firm and silky tannins. Some spice and hazelnut in the aftertaste. Drink now or hold.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County is also terrific. Based on 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc, brought up in 50% new French oak, this medium-bodied, fresh, pure, and beautifully balanced effort offers loads of cassis fruits as well as notes of spice and flowery incense. It’s another screaming value by Jesse Fox and Tony Biagi.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Olema is a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot, 3% Petite Verdot, 2% Malbec and 1% Cabernet Franc aged 14 months in 50% new French oak. Deep garnet-purple in color, it gives up open-knit, expressive blackberry pie, plum preserves and cassis scents with wafts of unsmoked cigars and garrigue with a waft of charcuterie. Medium-bodied, the palate is packed with juicy black fruits, supported by soft tannins, finishing earthy. Impressive feat this vintage! 22,000 cases produced.
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.