Laurel Glen Vineyard, a thousand feet up the slopes of Sonoma Mountain, has long been considered one of the iconic Cabernet vineyards of California. Originally planted in the 1880’s, the present-day vineyard was developed in the 1970’s by Sonoma wine pioneer Patrick Campbell. The first vintage of Laurel Glen Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon was made in 1981. The vineyard’s combination of high altitude, eastern exposure, rocky soils, and small diurnal temperature swings combine to produce very distinctive wines.

Winemaker David Ramey is widely acknowledged to be among the wine pioneers whose efforts helped raise the bar for all American winemakers and brought California to the forefront of the international wine world. David’s groundbreaking work with indigenous yeasts and malolactic and barrel fermentation yielded a new California style that was richer and more lush than previously known. David helped establish a number of wineries that would become household names. They include Chalk Hill, Matanzas Creek, Dominus Estate, Rudd Estate, and also his namesake David Ramey wines.

“Beautifully dense deep purple color, and a classic cassis nose with notes of black pepper, cherry liqueur, rose petal and vanilla make for a very refined and seductive first impression. On the palate the flavor is mouth filling but nuanced, with a pleasant astringency. The tannins are fine and the finish is quite refreshing, yet long and multi-layered, beginning with black currant and ending with red cherry and pepper. It is already destined to be one of the better wines from this historic vineyard.”

Larry Stone, Master Sommelier