I have sold wine from five countries over the course of my now forty-year career in wine. If I have learned anything in that time, it is how important the vineyard is to the quality of the wine. It sounds like a simple—perhaps even simplistic—lesson, and yet it is remarkably easy to be distracted by star winemakers, extravagant packaging, or glamorous owners. Not that any of those things can’t enhance a wine. They certainly can. But they can only enhance; they cannot create.
The only thing—and I truly mean the only thing—that will deliver quality year after year is where the grapes are grown and how the vineyard is farmed.
So, what makes one vineyard better than another? There are a few key factors.
First, choosing the right grape variety for the soil and climate. Some examples: Cabernet Sauvignon does not like clay soils; Pinot Noir does not like excessive heat; and many varieties struggle in humid conditions.
Second, farming practices that emphasize balance—by which I mean not pushing the vine to ripen too much fruit and returning to the soil what the vine depletes.
And third, history. There is always an element of the unknown when a vineyard is first developed. The best indicator of future quality is whether a site has consistently produced high-quality fruit in the past. Over time, certain vineyards earn reputations for excellence. I am proud to say that Laurel Glen Vineyard is one of them.
Since the 1970s, the Cabernet fruit from Laurel Glen Vineyard has been highly prized—first by the wineries that purchased the fruit for their own wines, and later, once the fruit became Laurel Glen Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1980s, through consistent praise from the wine press. Over the decades, it has become clear that our site on Sonoma Mountain is uniquely well suited to growing Cabernet Sauvignon.
Sonoma Mountain is an extinct volcano that rose from the seabed floor many millennia ago. As a result, the soils are rocky and porous, providing excellent drainage—exactly the conditions Cabernet Sauvignon prefers. Laurel Glen Vineyard sits on an east-facing plateau that is not shaded by the mountain’s peak in the afternoon, allowing the vines to receive enough sunlight to reliably ripen Cabernet Sauvignon in what is otherwise a cooler growing area.
To the factors of ideal site and excellent history, the current team at Laurel Glen Vineyard has added farming practices that emphasize balance. As a result, the vineyard has earned CCOF Organic Certification.
The Sonoma Mountain viticultural area is considered a cool-climate region, influenced by its proximity to the Petaluma Gap and the Pacific Ocean. Historically, the area was known primarily for Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. However, as demand grew in Sonoma County for Pinot Noir, many vineyards were replanted.
Today, our Cabernet Sauvignon wines are considered unusual for California because they retain a pronounced freshness beneath their rich Cabernet flavors—a freshness that comes from natural acidity in the grapes. At Laurel Glen Vineyard, we are proud of that acidity. It gives our wines an energy that wakes up the palate when they are young and keeps them fresh for many years—indeed, for decades.