A phenomenal Cab you’ve never heard of. Made with pride. And made AT PRIDE? Pride Mountain Vineyards that is… right where Agent Noir spent his very first night in California.

Long story short, it’s been two decades since he, overlooking Pride’s vineyards up on Spring Mountain over a fateful sunset in 2001, called his better half and said, “honey, I found Home.” More on that some other time. Just know this Cab is made there by Pride’s viticultural consultant since 1990.

We owe it to Noir’s obsession to get some Pride wines for you. Unfortunately, every bottle of Pride is allocated with a long waitlist. He kept knocking on their door until they politely asked him to go away. He did not. They finally tried distracting him with a well-kept secret: Sequum. It worked.

So, who has Paul Skinner, with a Ph.D. from UC Davis in Soil Science & Viticulture, NOT worked with?

That list could have been shorter. But it’s an impressive one. Here’s a sampling of those he helped since the 1980s; Louis Martini, Caymus, BV, Mondavi, Hanzell, Hess Collection, Sebastiani, Chateau St. Jean, Whitehall Lane, Chimney Rock, Paloma, Terra Valentine, David Abreu, Bryant Family, Marcassin, Colgin, Araujo, Kistler, Harlan, Staglin, Peter Michael, Sloan… it goes on and on. Trouble is, such deep knowledge and expertise come at a price - humility.

“You’ve never heard of Dr. Paul Skinner, but winemakers and grape farmers the world over know him as one of the leading climate and dirt dudes around - after all, wine begins in the ground.” writes Wine Enthusiast of the “Dirt Doctor” He truly is such a down-to-earth mad scientist that he lets Sequum quietly sell on its own. No ratings or reviews can be found on this 2016 Cab. Good thing it does not need them…

Alternating colors allure the eyes, between a dark bright ruby and a lucid deep crimson. Compellingly pure aromatics define the nose, with black cherry, huckleberry, cassis, violets, and licorice. On the palate, an impressive ripeness supports dark berry and spice tones, with sweet vanilla accents. Finishes firm, as it suspends for over a minute, with noble tannins, terrific punch, and complexity. This is a fabulous Cab for a prime rib dinner, with creamy horseradish, and truffle mashed potatoes, mmm.

Wine Spectator sums it up well: “Since becoming an independent consultant in 1987, Skinner has proven to be one of the most important thinkers in California wine, and certainly in Napa Valley… The Sequum wines demonstrate that Skinner clearly knows what he’s talking about on the production end, too. Even though many winemakers talk about how ‘good wine is made in the vineyard,’ the statement means something more when Skinner says it.”

And we say don’t fall asleep at the wheel, not much is made, and it’s going, going…