Mission Codename Proxima Centauri
“Perched high above the Pacific, the hillside vineyards of the Santa Cruz Mountains are capable of producing some of the most exciting wine in California, but demand is always likely to exceed supply.”* - Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
Straight up, honest, pure Cabernet, grown a stone’s throw away from the famous Monte Bello Ridge in Santa Cruz Mountains at over 2,500 feet above sea level. But that’s not the best part…
For $22??!!!
They say hire people who are smarter than you. Well, it’s going to be tough for the owners of R&W to do that given their background.
Noël Relyea and Bill Wood, the R and the W behind R&W Vineyards are not your typical couple. Both are scientists with PhDs in biochemistry from Cornell, followed by bleeding edge careers at some of the top companies in the world. Now retired, their entire focus is the wine dream they built from the ground up in 2005. From Wood’s obsession with microbiology raising ambient yeasts, to building an observatory out of the winery barn, science guides them, while they pursue the art of winemaking.
This wine bridges the gap between Old and New World styles. Fresh, bright, but full of juicy good fruit. Loaded with bright red berries, juicy red currant, and an exotic hint of candied orange peel in the back. It finishes youthful with a velvety mouthfeel as mountain tannins kick in toward the long, complex finale. It clocks in lower alcohol (13.4%) than your typical Napa Cabernet too, making it round, and oh-so-quaffable. All you need to make it even more memorable is a well-marbled, dry-aged NY strip with all the fixings.
Vinous’ Antonio Galloni recently wrote “I have long believed that the Santa Cruz Mountains is one of the world’s preeminent regions for fine whites and reds that speak of place.”*
And here’s an example that speaks volumes!
Quality Cabernet at this price always goes quickly. What are you waiting for?
Tasting Profile
Tasting Profile
Look | Vivid, translucid medium ruby with the faintest deep blue to purple glow on the bright circumference |
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Smell | Loaded with bright red berries, juicy red currant, and an exotic hint of candied orange peel in the back |
Taste | Fresh, bright, but full of juicy good fruit, it bridges the gap between Old and New World styles |
Finish | Youthful with a velvety mouthfeel as mountain tannins kick in toward the long, complex finale |
Pairing | All you need to make it even more memorable is a well-marbled, dry-aged NY strip with all the fixings |
What the Winery Says
2018 Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon
- Winemaker
- William Wood
- Varietal
- 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
- Vintage
- 2018
- Appellation
- Santa Cruz Mountains, Central Coast
- Vineyards
- Estate & Betchart Vineyards
- Alcohol
- 13.4%
- Harvest dates
- October 14, November 3, 2018
- Aging
- 21 months
- Barrels
- 67% new French oak
- Production
- 3 barrels