Lot 117 | 2019 Sonoma Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 750ml

$50/bottle under the original label This muscular-yet-elegant Cabernet hails from the western hills of Sonoma Valley in the foothill alluvial's draining down off of the southern foot of Sonoma Mountain. The winemaker (and consulting winemaker for a variety of high-end Sonoma Valley wineries) told me he's too busy with his other clients to spend anytime selling his own wines so he's getting out of the game. $50/bottle Sonoma Valley Cabernet Sauvignon doesn't sell itself you know. This southern part of Sonoma Valley is relatively cool and, despite the 14.9% alc., this is an intriguing, unique cool-climate style. I know the November 2020 bottling seems early for a Cabernet but we felt the wine was ready (the 2019's are fabulous by the way). Farmed at just one-cluster per shoot (yielding under two tons per acre), fermented in open-top redwood vats, and aged in 50% new French oak, its a steal at $16/bottle. The nose is redolent with oak at this young stage, chock-full of tootsie roll note