Bonterra Vineyards

Cabernet Sauvignon is increasingly presented as a monolithic red in the U.S. The recipe is for 100% Cabernet grapes plus 100% toasted oak, for a kind of 200% wine. It didn’t used to be this way in California, because the time-tested French model for the king of red grapes was to set it in a court of other aristocrats, including Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petite Verdot. California got away from that model in the 1990s, and took Washington state with it. But no matter how good your barrels are, oak is not fruit and a gigantic wooden throne doesn’t make the king any bigger.

So it’s nice to find a sizable, well-oaked California Cabernet that’s blended with Syrah, Petite Syrah and Merlot. These courtiers account for only 16% of the blend, but they add a buoyancy to the bigness that makes a huge difference. The wine is juicy and lively as you sip, not stentorian or stiff – a big red that’s made to dance with, not pose next to. The flood of red fruit, including raspberries and cherries, is laced with dry earth, summer herbs and nectarine citrus notes and structured with plenty of tannin. The finish is as vivid as the aromas, making for a complete tasting experience. Decant for current drinking or hold a few years.

Reviewed February 16, 2007 by Thom Elkjer.