Winter Release Montecillo Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
2018

Winemaker’s Notes

An extraordinary wine from a vineyard packed full of character and history, this is our finest vintage of Montecillo yet released, a mountain-grown wine of purity, precision and depth. This is among my favorite Cabernet wines I have bottled in over 20 years. It can easily go toe to toe with a sea of over-priced Napa Cabernets produced from young vines in non-distinct locations.

Planted in 1964, these old vines sit at 1,700 feet above Sonoma Valley. The high level of dry extract they naturally produce provides a remarkable mid-palate volume to the wine. The site’s highly eroded mountain soils yield grapes drenched in what I describe as a “red-mineral-vapor” vineyard signature, a volcanic/ferrous/iron quality that seems to come directly out of the soil into the wine. There’s a myriad of savory herbs, spices, flowers and fruits on display here – truly compelling stuff!

Aromas of black plum and cassis merge with savory notes of sage, bay laurel and black pepper spice. An underscore of sweet tobacco and lead pencil interlace with complex ferrous notes. On the palate, generous red and black fruits lead the entry, offset by mountainside pine sap and dried herb edges. Broad tannins bring a sense of roundness to the palate, the texture expansive and lush with a well-structured, lingering finish of licorice, tapenade and rose petal. Decant if possible and drink between mid-2021 and 2030.

Andy Smith