Collector's Reference

A warm winter and spring in 2014 caused early bud break, followed by beautiful mild weather in summer that allowed for long, even ripening and excellent flavor development. Picking started on September 17 and ended on the 23rd, the earliest Cabernet Sauvignon harvest our winemaker Randall has seen in his 20 plus years of winemaking! Despite drought conditions and a 6.0 magnitude earthquake on August 24, the quality of fruit was excellent.

Tasting notes from Winemaker Randall Watkins:“Beautiful fragrance of sweet boysenberry and dark raspberry fruit, mineral and smoke. Hints of espresso, charred oak and baking spices. Impressive on the finish, maintaining elegance and finesse amid firm mountain tannins. Fine, long finish.”

Linda Murphy Tasting Notes in Sonoma Magazine: “This is an iconic Sonoma wine with a track record of aging gloriously for decades. It offers classic Cabernet characteristics of forest floor, subtle leafy herbs, and concentrated dark berry and dark cherry fruit. It has admirable freshness and elegance for a mountain-grown wine.” Top 100 Wines 2018

The 2013 Laurel Glen Vineyard Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is a beautiful illustration of the years of work we’ve put into elevating practices in the vineyard and winery. A mild winter led to an early bud break followed by ideal weather. Even though picking began about ten days earlier than in 2012, on September 25th, the early early bud break left plenty of time for flavor development. Yields at Laurel Glen Vineyard were lighter than average at about 2.4 tons per acre, but the quality of the fruit was exceptional. Justly lauded, the 2013 vintage yielded grapes with intense concentration and beautiful aromatics.

Tasting notes from Master Sommelier Richard Dean: “Beautiful purple inky color, with clean raspberry and cassis nose. A little sweet ripeness on the attack and medium bodied flavor that leaves a soft lush finish that lingers just long enough. Tannins are smooth and polished, ready to drink now, or hold for a good number of years.”

The 2012 Laurel Glen Vineyard Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is the second vintage from start to finish from the team of Winemaker Randall Watkins and consulting enologist David Ramey. It is also an early glimpse into the years of work we’ve put into elevating practices in the vineyard and winery. Justly lauded, the 2012 vintage provided plenty of sunshine, hang time and opportunity to develop intense and complex flavors in the vineyard and wines.

Tasting notes from Robert Parker in eRobertParker.com: “The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is a small cuvée of only 1,006 cases harvested October 6-15,2012. The wine was aged in 50% new French oak. The history of the site is ancient, with vines having first been planted in the 1880’s. Beautiful blueberry and blackberry fruit jump from the glass of this dense ruby/purple wine. Full-bodied and ripe with sweet tannin, terrific lushness and beautiful purity and density, this is a super-strong effort from Laurel Glen. Drink it over the next 20-25 years.” 95 points

In 2011, I became steward of the historic Laurel Glen Vineyard. After 30 vintages, Patrick Campbell sold the vineyard and winery and my ambitious new team and I ushered in a new era. We carefully considered how to keep the best of the Laurel Glen Vineyard legacy – elegance without over-extraction, balance of acidity and fruit ripeness, finesse and age-ability – while pursuing ever higher quality and consistency. Today, the tweaks we’ve made to farming and winemaking have already made a difference to wine quality and the health of the vineyard. The 2011 Laurel Glen Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is the first vintage from start to finish from me and my new team. I think you will taste that land and history exude a strong influence here. We feel the wine preserves the nuanced layers of flavor of the past, while adding intensity and texture. – Bettina Sichel

Luke Sykora Tasting Notes for Wine & Spirits Magazine:“Rainy and unseasonably cold, the 2011 vintage wasn’t a year for beginners, but for better or worse it was Bettina Sichel’s first vintage at Laurel Glen, after she purchased the property from Patrick Campbell. In March of that year she brough in Phil Coturri to manage the vineyard, which he began cultivating organically while dialing back the irrigation. The vineyard, perched on a saddle of volcanic soil above the fog line yet sheltered from the coastal wind, did manage to fully ripen, just later than normal. The final grapes were harvested on November 1. Sonoma Mountain is one of California’s cooler areas for cabernet, so you might be surprised at how expansive this wine feels. Made by Randall Watkins, with input from David Ramey, this is tight with mineral tannins and flashes of minty black-currant tang. With a day of air, the tannins turn more supple and the floodgates open into a clean line of cassis flavor that’s driven by fresh acidity, energizing a wine with the lilting complexity of a string quartet, scents of violets and Christmas spices and bay-infused meat stock intertwining in a finish that goes on for minutes. Give this ten years in the cellar; it’s a classical mountain cabernet with a profound structural integrity, built to last.” 95 points & 100 Best Wines of 2015