It sounds like the beginnings of a joke: how do you hook a wine writer? The answer, it turns out, at least in my case, involves offering to put on the most comprehensive tasting of Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet ever held. When the Santa Cruz Mountains Winery Association made the offer, I suspect they knew I would have a hard time refusing.

Just in case it was a trap, I brought my friend Elaine with me (you can read her writeup of the event here).

As it turns out, the event was a trap, and a cleverly designed one at that. An offer designed to be irresistible to yours truly. But it was one I was happy to have sprung on me. There’s nothing quite like the opportunity to sit down and comprehensively contemplate a wine region and its products.

Indeed, such opportunities are rare, if only because so many wine regions are far too large to reasonably taste through even over the course of several days, and even if you did focus on a single grape variety.

But the Santa Cruz Mountains remain something of a frontier in California winemaking, a place to which people can still retreat if they want to get away from it all, and perhaps make some wine while they do it.

The Santa Cruz Mountains can claim a history of winemaking as old as nearly anywhere else in Northern California. The first grapes to be grown in the region were almost certainly those cultivated by the mission who lent its name to the town and the mountains. The first commercial vines were planted in the early 1850s, about the same time that vines were going in all over Northern California.

For Santa Cruz, the grapes, along with other fruits and nuts were easy ways to fill the open space left after the logging companies came through the area, which was a major source of timber for Gold-Rush-era San Francisco.

According to writer Ross Eric Gibson, the Santa Cruz area was home to 16 different wineries by 1870, enough to form a winery association. Winemaker and entrepreneur Paul Masson truly put the Santa Cruz region on the map when he moved into a winery facility above Saratoga now known as The Mountain Winery.

Following the repeal of prohibition, winemaking became more serious, with wineries such as Martin Ray, Mount Eden, and Ridge Vineyards gaining national and even international attention for their wines.

The Santa Cruz Mountains AVA (American Viticultural Area) was approved in 1981 and was unique in several respects. Though it seemingly was placed smack dab in the middle of both the San Francisco Bay AVA and the boundaries of the huge Central Coast AVA, Ridge winemaker Paul Draper never fails to point out, given the chance, that it is actually a separate AVA and is technically not contained within those neighboring AVAs (which were established later). While it is easy to see this as a technicality, the nature of the AVA’s definition may provide some indication of why Draper presses this point. The Santa Cruz AVA was one of the first in the United States to be defined not strictly by geology, watersheds, or county lines, but by elevation, marking it as decidedly different than its neighboring regions.

Today this mountainous region is home to more than 70 wineries and many more winegrowers who make a surprising array of wines, ranging from some of the coldest climate Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays in California, to robust Zinfandels, Syrahs, and yes, Cabernet Sauvignon, which has been planted in the region for more than 100 years.

Trying to characterize the climate of the Santa Cruz Mountains region as a whole proves immediately problematic given its mountainous nature, it’s proximity to the Pacific Ocean, and its significant spread from north to south. Elevation and exposure play critical roles in determining the microclimate of a given vineyard site. A vineyard on the east side of the mountains with southern exposure, for instance may be able to easily ripen Bordeaux grape varieties, while a few miles away on the other side of the ridge, a western-facing vineyard may be hit with the brunt of Pacific fog and struggle to ripen even the most cold-tolerant varieties.

The wineries that populate this landscape seem to mirror its variegated topography, from Ridge Vineyards, arguably one of the nation’s finest producers, to garage-scale operations. Quite interestingly, some of the oldest producers in the region have long remained at their relatively tiny size, seemingly sustained by a combination of their proprietors’ force of will and a loyal following of local customers.

This variance may have much to do with the variability in the quality of the region’s wines. As my notes below demonstrate, the gap between the best and worst appears significant. This is not necessarily surprising, as many of the smaller estates in the region are little more than hobbyist vintners turned “semi-pro.” Some have not had formal training in winemaking, and some don’t make enough wine to face any problems selling it on a competitive basis.

Having said that, I must admit some dismay when comparing the asking prices for some of these wines and their level of quality. Thanks to the boom of Silicon Valley, and the proximity of very wealthy suburbs such as Los Gatos, Portola Valley, Woodside, and Saratoga, the region has seen its share of wealthy executives who move in and think it might be fun to make some wine off their properties.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with this, and heaven knows there are some fantastic wines made in Napa that are the product of just these kinds of situations, but their quality tempers any sense of hubris behind them. Not so for some of the producers in the Santa Cruz Mountains, at least when it comes to Cabernet Sauvignon.

So what about Santa Cruz Cabernet Sauvignon? Ridge’s Montebello bottling long ago put to rest any questions about that grape’s potential in the region, especially when it triumphed in the re-match of the Paris Tasting 30 years after the original 1976 event.

So it’s quite clear, then, that Cabernet Sauvignon can reach extraordinary heights in the region, and there are a few producers who have been exploring those upper reaches along with Ridge. But for now, these remain a precious few.

I’m not in a position to provide advice to winemakers, but I can stand by an assessment that there’s a lot of room for improvement in these wines, especially in the use of new oak. I’d level the same criticism at many Napa and Sonoma producers as well, of course. Ripeness is another area that needs, well, at least some exploration. The amazing variations in geography described above notwithstanding, the region seems capable of generating fantastic fruit at quite reasonable levels of ripeness, so it can be quite painful to encounter wines that are so heavily raisined and pruney.

But when things go right, they really can sing. The best wines below share a wonderful brightness and earthy complexion. I’m quite wary of any person or organization who likes to suggest that an entire region shares a common flavor. I’ve been to enough tastings organized to supposedly demonstrate the common flavor profile of a region to believe such efforts can only yield the grossest generalizations. So you won’t find me making specific pronouncements about what the Santa Cruz Mountains taste like even when viewed through the narrow lens of Cabernet Sauvignon. There are too many variables at play, from the micro-climates and altitudes of individual vineyard sites, to the clonal material of the vines, to the hand of the winemaker.

What I can say, however, is that when the wines are good, they are really good. From the older vintages in the 80s to some of the newest wines to bear the name of the AVA, Cabernet Sauvignons from the Santa Cruz Mountains are distinctive and delicious. The region may still be a bit of a frontier, but it is a frontier well worth exploring, especially for anyone looking to discover a hidden gem or two.

The tasting notes below were made, non-blind, on a single day a few weeks ago. In some cases, second bottles of the wine were tasted when wines showed obvious faults or spoilage. The prices indicated were provided by the wineries.

Enjoy.

Woodside Vineyards

The oldest winery in San Mateo County, Woodside Vineyards traces its roots back to pioneer E.H. Rixford, who planted Cabernet Sauvignon in Woodside in 1884 and managed to win some awards for it before Prohibition had its way with most of California’s wineries, Rixford’s La Questa winery being no exception. 45 years later, in 1960, Bob Mullen began making wine from those same vines. Woodside Vineyards has remained a boutique winery ever since, though Mullen sold a controlling interest to a couple of local investors and car enthusiasts in 2010, who have moved the winery to Meno Park where visitors can taste wine alongside exotic sports cars. The winery produces a number of bottlings, from an off-dry sparkling wine that persists in using the word Champagne on the label, to Pinot Noir, to Cabernet Sauvignon, around 3000 cases in total. The wines are made by winemaker Brian Caselden.

2007 Woodside Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of cedar and oak and dried cherries. In the mouth, flavors of oak suffuse dried cherries and graphite and forest floor. The tannins are slightly drying but fine grained. Good acidity. 13.4% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $40. click to buy.

2008 Woodside Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark garnet in color, this wine smells of high-toned cassis and black cherry. In the mouth, somewhat bitter flavors of cassis and black cherry mix with the flavor of alcohol and oak, surprisingly given the low 13.3% alcohol. Angular acidity and fine grained tannins. Score: between 8 and 8.5. Cost: $40.

2009 Woodside Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark ruby in color with a surprisingly brown tinge given its relative youth, this wine smells of raisins and prunes and cocoa powder. In the mouth, thick, powdery tannins coat the tongue while flavors of prunes, raisins, and dried cherries seem a bit tired on the palate. Not much of a finish. 13.2% alcohol. Score: between 7.5 and 8. Cost: $40. click to buy.

Kathryn Kennedy

Kathryn Kennedy, shown above tending her vineyard in 1974, fell in love with wine the way that many do: tasting a remarkable bottle and then seeing first hand the soil that gave that wine life. She moved to Saratoga in 1949 with her young family, and decided to plant a vineyard in 1973. She attended classes at U.C. Davis long enough to learn what she needed to plant her vineyards, which she did with the help of friends and family. After selling grapes to neighboring Mount Eden vineyards for a couple of years, she established her own brand in 1979, as one of the first women whose name would grace a wine bottle in the United States. The Kathryn Kennedy estate has been producing Cabernet Sauvignon ever since in small quantities, and the estate vineyards have been Certified Organic since 2007. Winemaker Marty Mathis (Kennedy’s son) has been making the wine since 1981, including a small production sparkling wine that is quite good, if you ever run across a bottle.

2008 Kathryn Kennedy “Estate Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark garnet in color, this wine smells of ripe and dried black cherries and a hint of alcohol. In the mouth, silky, high-toned flavors of cherry, chocolate, and oak have a faint minty quality to them along with flavors of oak. Good acidity and brightness, with faint, grippy tannins that hang back until the wine has finished its flavors. While the wine has no heat on the finish, it leaves an overall impression of alcohol on the palate. 14.9% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $185.

2009 Kathryn Kennedy “Estate Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of cassis and black cherry and oak. In the mouth flavors of black cherry and cassis are juicy with excellent acidity. The oak is quite present, but pretty well integrated, and with time will likely be a seamless component to the wine. 14.4% alcohol. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $125. click to buy.

2010 Kathryn Kennedy “Estate Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark garnet in color, this wine smells of black cherry and wet earth. In the mouth, beautifully dark black cherry and wet earth flavors have a gorgeous stony minerality to them and very little trace of oak. Lithe but powerful tannins wrap their way around and through the fruit. Excellent acidity and fantastic length that includes a citrusy sour cherry kick after 20 or 30 seconds. When asked why the price for this wine jumped from its normal $125 to $320 a bottle, winemaker Marty Mathis said, “Because it’s the best wine of my life! That’s just one man’s opinion, of course.” I haven’t tasted the wines consistently enough over time to pass that kind of judgement, but this is a damn good wine. 14.2% alcohol. Score: around 9.5. Cost: $320.

2011 Kathryn Kennedy “Estate Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of black cherry, cassis, raisins, and dried flowers. In the mouth juicy and bright black cherry and chocolate covered raisins are clutched by a pasty fist of thick, but fine grained tannins. Excellent acidity and length. 14.8% alcohol. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $185.

Cooper-Garrod Vineyards

The Garrod Family purchased a modest 120 acres of land in 1893 that looked down on the spreading orchards that covered much of what is today known as Silicon Valley. The land they purchased was itself orchard land, and the family settled down to making a living growing apricots and prunes like many of the other farmers in the area. Exactly 100 years later, the granddaughter of those early farmers, Louise Garrod, along with her husband, George Cooper, established a commercial winery on the property. The farm had been planted with grapevines since 1973 when George, a WWII fighter pilot and NASA test pilot retired and decided to keep himself busy making a little wine for the family. With the help of local wine personality Martin Ray, Cooper became more than competent as a winemaker over the next twenty years, and in 1993, with the help of his eldest son, Bill Cooper, and his nephew Jan Garrod, the family established the small Cooper-Garrod winery that they still run today. The winery produces a number of different wines off their 28 acres of vineyards, with total production running to about 3000 cases.

2006 Cooper-Garrrod Vineyards “George’s Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark garnet in the glass headed towards ruby, this wine smells of cedar and dried cherries. In the mouth, quite pretty cedar, leather, and cherry flavors have a faint minty tone to them and a wonderfully sweet aromatic character that lingers in the finish. Excellent acidity and length with fine grained tannins. 13.5% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $35.

2007 Cooper-Garrrod Vineyards “George’s Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon
Very dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of mint and chocolate and black cherry fruit. In the mouth flavors of black cherry and chocolate have a hint of menthol to them as powdery but muscular tannins coat the mouth. Burly but not overwhelming. 13.3% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $35.

2008 Cooper-Garrrod Vineyards “George’s Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of dried cherries and prunes. In the mouth, dried cherries and black cherries mix with leather and fine grained tannins. Good acidity but the fruit is quite dried. Notes of carob and leather linger in the finish. 13.3% alcohol. Score: between 8 and 8.5. Cost: $39.

2009 Cooper-Garrrod Vineyards “George’s Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon
Medium to dark garnet in color, this wine smells of tempera paint, black cherries, and a hint of mint. In the mouth, lean flavors of black cherry mix with leather under a fleecy blanket of tannins. Minty notes accompany the fruit through the finish. Good acidity. 13.9% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $45.

2010 Cooper-Garrrod Vineyards “George’s Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark garnet in color, this wine smells of stony black cherry and cassis with a hint of menthol. In the mouth the wine is wound quite tightly on a spool of fine grained tannins. Good acidity and length, but presenting a stony darkness at the moment that is slightly impenetrable. 14.1% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $45.

Ridge Vineyards

A select few wineries in California need little introduction to most wine lovers around the world, and Ridge Vineyards is certainly one of those. Founded in 1962 by three partners from the Stanford Research Institute, the winery came into its own under the winemaking prowess of Paul Draper, whose third vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon from the storied Montebello vineyard was selected by Stephen Spurrier to include in the famous Paris Tasting of 1976. The heart of the winery continues to be the “middle vineyard” of the Montebello Estate Cabernet Sauvignon plot planted by pioneer William Short in 1940, four years after the repeal of Prohibition. Ridge has become synonymous with Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon, for good reason, as its Montebello bottling remains one of the finest Bordeaux blends made in the country. Draper is still in charge, though day-to-day winemaking is done by Eric Baugher who oversees a large portfolio of wines.

1985 Ridge Vineyards “Montebello” Red Blend
Medium blood red in the glass with a hint of brown cast, this wine smells of cedar and forest floor with notes of raspberry and dried cherry. In the mouth, smooth dried cherry forest floor and very stony mineral quality that is gorgeous. Long and beautiful. Score: between 9 and 9.5. click to buy.

2005 Ridge Vineyards “Montebello” Red Blend
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of black cherry, a hint of coconut, and wet earth. In the mouth, gorgeously juicy black cherry fruit has a plush velvety texture thanks to beautiful tannins that wrap around the dark core of fruit tinged with wet earth. The whisky barrel note of American oak lingers through the finish with earth and juniper berries. A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, and 2% Cabernet Franc. 13.4% alcohol. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $300. click to buy.

2006 Ridge Vineyards “Montebello” Red Blend
Very dark garnet in color, this wine smells of black cherry and cassis and the faint hint of pine boughs. In the mouth, gorgeously plush flavors of black cherry, juniper, dried flowers, and wet earth meld seamlessly with extremely fine grained tannins. Fantastic acidity and great balance. A blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot, and 2% Cabernet Franc. 13.5% alcohol. Score: between 9.5 and 10. Cost: $275. click to buy.

2007 Ridge Vineyards “Montebello” Red Blend
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of black cherries and a tiny hint of barnyard layered over wet earth. In the mouth. Juicy flavors of black cherry and cassis have a nice sour quality thanks to excellent acidity. Peanut-butter-thick tannins wrap around the core of the wine, lingering with a wet wood quality through the finish. A blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 9% Petit Verdot, and 2% Cabernet Franc. 13.1% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $200. click to buy.

FERNWOOD CELLARS

Established on the site of an old metaphysical retreat popular in the 1800’s (and the site of one of California’s first outdoor swimming pools), Fernwood Cellars was established in 1999 by winemaker Matt Oetinger, the 5th generation of family owners for the property. Farming the grapes planted on the estate by his mother in 1991, Oetinger eventually transitioned to managing the estate full time after stint in vineyard management at Clos la Chance winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The estate produces a number of wines from estate-grown fruit including Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, and Riesling. Oetinger’s father also has long owned the Hummingbird Hill vineyard in El Dorado County, and consequently Fernwood also offers some wines from that region as well.

2008 Fernwood Cellars “Estate Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon
Medium to dark garnet in color but making the transition to ruby, this wine smells of roasted plums, prunes, and chocolate covered raisins. In the mouth, the wine has a faint sweetness to it, with cedar, plum, and chocolate covered raisin flavors that are quite tasty. Obviously ripe, with leathery tannins, the wine nonetheless is quite pleasurable. A faint alcoholic heat lingers in the finish. 14.2% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $40.

2009 Fernwood Cellars “Estate Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon
Very dark garnet in color, this wine smells of wet wood, barnyard, and black cherry. In the mouth, thick putty-like black tannins wrap around flavors of graphite, barnyard, cassis, and black cherry. Heavily extracted and rich, with the Brett doing it no favors. 14.1% alcohol. Score: between 7.5 and 8. Cost: $40. click to buy.

2010 Fernwood Cellars “Estate Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark garnet in color, this wine smells of bright cherry fruit and a slight plasticky aroma. In the mouth rich, ripe cherry fruit has an alcoholic quality to it, while aggressive, thick tannins claw at the edges of the mouth. Good acidity keeps the wine bright, but the fruit and tannins are blocky and disjointed. 14.6% alcohol. Score: around 8. Cost: $40.

2011 Fernwood Cellars “Estate Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark garnet in color, this wine smells of quite candied, jammy black cherry aromas. In the mouth, high-toned flavors of black cherry and cedar are wrapped in a thick, leathery blanket of tannins. Good acidity, but somewhat angular. 13.9% alcohol. Score: around 8. Cost: $45.

McCarthy Family Vineyards

The McCarthy family was an early landowner in the Silicon Valley, and by early, I mean early 19th Century. The family’s fortunes have been tied to Bay Area real estate ever since. In 2005, after a thirty-year career in real estate, Joe McCarthy established McCarthy Family Vineyards, which dry-farms 6 acres of organic vineyards above Los Gatos, and makes a single Cabernet Sauvignon from those grapes.

2008 McCarthy Family Vineyards “Estate” Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark garnet in color, this wine smells of high-toned cassis and black cherry. In the mouth, bright black cherry and cassis flavors have a rubbing-alcohol quality to them and an angular sharpness that doesn’t smooth out through the finish, though it does sweeten a bit. Somewhat disjointed. 13.4% alcohol. Score: between 7.5 and 8. Cost: $59.

2009 McCarthy Family Vineyards “Estate” Cabernet Sauvignon
Very dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of stewed fruit with a hint of funk. In the mouth very ripe flavors of black cherry and raisins have a somewhat simple complexion, with faint tannins. The acidity has a grainy quality to it. Disjointed.14.6% alcohol. Score: around 8. Cost: $59.

2010 McCarthy Family Vineyards “Estate” Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark garnet in color, this wine smells of high-toned black cherry. In the mouth the fruit flavors seem compressed and narrow, with high toned notes of cherry and cedar. Earthy notes linger in the finish. 14.1% alcohol. Score: between 7.5 and 8. Cost: $59.

Burrell School Vineyards

Named after the one-room schoolhouse that still stands on the property Burrell School Vineyards was founded in 1973 by Anne and David Moulton, who continues to make the wines today. While the estate began with a focus on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, it has expanded into the Bordeaux varieties over time and now makes several in addition to its Burgundian varieties. All wines are unfined and unfiltered

2007 Burrell School Vineyards “Luchesi Vineyard – Dean’s List” Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark garnet in color, this wine smells of black cherry, chocolate, and raisins. In the mouth juicy black cherry and dark chocolate flavors are dusted with fine grained tannins. There’s a faint aromatic sweetness to the finish which adds some very nice charm to the wine. 14.5% alcohol. Score: around 9 . Cost: $44. click to buy.

2008 Burrell School Vineyards “Luchesi Vineyard – Dean’s List” Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of black cherry, herbs, and a hint of jalapeño chilies. In the mouth, dried black cherry and cherry flavors mix with cola nut, and cocoa powder under a gauze of powdery tannins that linger in the mouth along with a cedar and green herb note in the finish. 14.5% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $44. click to buy.

2009 Burrell School Vineyards “Luchesi Vineyard – Dean’s List” Cabernet Sauvignon
Very dark garnet in color, this wine smells of dried cherries, forest floor, and a bit of rubbing alcohol. In the mouth, powdery tannins wrap around flavors of black cherry, plum, and wet earth. There’s just a touch of aromatic sweetness to the finish. At its current state of evolution the wine is just slightly gangly, as if it hasn’t grown into its own skin. 14.5% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $44.

2010 Burrell School Vineyards “Luchesi Vineyard – Dean’s List” Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark garnet in color, this wine smells of canned green chilies, jalapeños and a dusty road. In the mouth fine grained tannins wrap around a core of green bell pepper, green chilies, and some red fruit mixed with a deep earthy forest floor quality that is quite compelling the longer it lingers in the finish. By all accounts this very cool vintage is making itself known in the strength of this wine’s greenness which may well be too much for most palates. Otherwise, quite well balanced. 14.5% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $44.

Mount Eden Vineyards

Founded by the iconoclastic Martin Ray in 1943, Mount Eden Vineyards is one of California’s most storied properties. While it’s direct history doesn’t stretch back to pre-prohibition times, Mount Eden’s legacy can be traced back to California wine pioneer Paul Masson who helped to establish winegrowing in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1890s. Ray was a protege of Masson and he was urged by his mentor to purchase a mountain top nearby and start his own project, which he did after first purchasing Masson’s estate from him against his mentor’s advice. Ray made iconic wines at his estate from the 1940s until the 1970s when he lost control of the estate to his investors, who brought in Dick Graff to run the estate, a man who would become another California winemaking icon. Under Graff, Mount Eden flourished, and became the source of some of the state’s most acclaimed wines. Today the estate is managed by Jeffrey Patterson who became winemaker in 1983 and has made every vintage since. In 2008 Patterson and his wife became majority shareholders in the estate, which produces Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon from its estate vineyards.

2007 Mount Eden Vineyards “Estate” Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of black cherries, tobacco, and a hint of lanolin. In the mouth, flavors of cherry, cedar, tobacco and earth have a nice spritely bounce and balance to them, dusted by fine grained tannins. A hint of oak creeps into the complexion of the wine but stays subtle. Juicy acidity. A blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 1.5% Cabernet Franc, and 1.5% Petite Verdot. 13.5% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $125. click to buy.

2008 Mount Eden Vineyards “Estate” Cabernet Sauvignon
Very dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of oak and oak and oak and red berries. In the mouth, new oak is the dominating character of the wine, overshadowing what would be very nice bright cherry fruit. The vanilla and spice of the oak linger with a leather note in the finish. Good acidity. A blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon , 16% Merlot, and 2% Petit Verdot. 13.5% alcohol. Score: between 8 and 8.5. Cost: $70. click to buy.

2009 Mount Eden Vineyards “Estate” Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark garnet in color, this wine smells faintly of the coconut oil scent of sunscreen, new oak, and red fruit. In the mouth, flavors of oak take on an almost salty character surrounding flavors of cherry and cola. Very fine grained tannins and excellent acidity prove this would be a fantastic wine were it not for the surfeit of wood. A blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot. 14.2% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $65. click to buy.

2010 Mount Eden Vineyards “Estate” Cabernet Sauvignon
Very dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of wet wood, cut grass, and green bell pepper. In the mouth, green bell pepper and black cherry fruit have a nice harmony to them, and a surprisingly wonderful herbal quality. Dark earth and wet wood linger in the finish, with thankfully little sensation of new oak. A blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. 13.5% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $60. click to buy.

Silver Mountain Vineyards

Founded by ex-commodities trader Jerold O’Brien, who used to trade in silver, Silver Mountain Vineyards represents his long held dream to make his own wine. The winery was established in 1979, after O’Brien spent several years working in other wineries in California before striking out on his own. O’Brien farms the estate organically, and produces Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and a Bordeaux Blend as well as a single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.

2008 Silver Mountain Vineyards “Bates Ranch” Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark garnet in color, this wine smells of oak and candied dark berries. In the mouth somewhat candied fruit mixes with oak and faint tannins that come on stronger as the wine lingers through the finish. The fruit has a somewhat monotone quality to it, but has a juiciness thanks to good acidity. 12.6% alcohol. Score: between 7.5 and 8. Cost: $38.

2010 Silver Mountain Vineyards “Bates Ranch” Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells strangely of raw potato, dust, and candied cassis. In the mouth, quite candied flavors of black cherry and cassis have good acidity but not much dimension to them. Flavors of oak linger in the finish along with lightly grippy tannins. 13.6% alcohol. Score: around 8. Cost: $38.

2011 Silver Mountain Vineyards “Bates Ranch” Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of, frankly, mildew. In the mouth, somewhat muted flavors of black cherry and cassis mix with wet wood and river mud. Not particularly successful as a wine. 13.1% alcohol. Score: around 6. Cost: $38.

Beauregard Vineyards

Beauregard Vineyards represents the present day culmination of a retired sheriff’s fantasies of winemaking, three generations later. In 1949 Amos Beauregard retired to the hills of the Santa Cruz Mountains and planted 13 acres of vines that he, his son, and his grandson would all farm with dedication. His grandson, Jim Beauregard, would be instrumental in the establishment of the fog-influenced Ben Lomond AVA, which sits at the southwest point of the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA. Jim’s son Ryan started making wine under the family name in 2000, and now produces a wide variety of wines for the family label.

2003 Beauregard Vineyards “Estate” Cabernet Sauvignon, Ben Lomond Mountain
Dark garnet in color, this wine smells of cedar and cherries and a hint of acetone. In the mouth, wonderfully lively flavors of cherry and cedar, and forest floor have a fantastic mineral backbone and bright acidity. A juicy finish prolongs flavors of sour cherry and cedar. 13.9% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $116.

2004 Beauregard Vineyards “Estate” Cabernet Sauvignon, Ben Lomond Mountain
Dark garnet in the glass, but edging towards ruby, this wine smells of stewed prunes, dark chocolate, and new oak. In the mouth prunes, stewed cherries and chocolate are overshadowed by the flavors of new oak, which leave a vanilla creaminess in the finish. Overdone. Good acidity and length, though. 14.1% alcohol. Score: between 8 and 8.5. Cost: $113.

2005 Beauregard Vineyards “Estate” Cabernet Sauvignon, Ben Lomond Mountain
Dark garnet in color with hints of ruby, this wine smells of candied… oak. Just sweet new barrels and brown sugar. In the mouth, flavors of cedar, brown sugar, and a hint of dried fruit are all superseded by new wood and drying tannins. 14.2% alcohol. Score: around 7.5 . Cost: $80.

Clos Tita Winery

Established in 1990, Clos Tita is the obsession and side project of dentist David Estrada and his wife Britta. Originally established as a Pinot Noir and Chardonnay project, Clos Tita has bought grapes from other Santa Cruz Mountain sites to produce additional wines over the years, including its Bordeaux blend known as Gironde.

2004 Clos Tita Winery “Estate Gironde” Red Blend
Dark ruby in color, this wine smells of candied black cherries, chocolate, and English toffee. In the mouth, slightly sweet flavors of plum pudding, treacle, and black cherry have a wonderful smoothness to them with faint tannins and a silky weighty body. Somewhat confected. A blend of 56% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 9% Cabernet Franc. 15.6% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $28. click to buy.

2005 Clos Tita Winery “Estate Gironde” Red Blend
Dark garnet in color, this wine smells of forest floor, stewed cherries, and wet wood. In the mouth, powdery tannins envelop dark earthy flavors of stewed cherries, prunes, and wet earth. Dark and loamy, with decent acidity. A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Merlot. 14.9% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $28. click to buy.

2007 Clos Tita Winery “Estate Gironde” Red Blend
Dark garnet in color, this wine has a whiff of cherry cough syrup and touch of acetone. In the mouth, the wine has a creamy quality and flavors of cherries, oak, and wet earth. Moderate acidity and finish. A blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon from two different vineyards, 35% Merlot, and 18% Cabernet Franc. 14.7% alcohol. Score: around 8 . Cost: $28.

2008 Clos Tita Winery “Estate Gironde” Red Blend
Dark garnet in color, this wine smells of forest floor and dark cherry fruit with just a hint of acetone on the nose.. In the mouth chalky tannins coat the mouth while flavors of dark black cherry, cola, and wet earth swirl in a nicely balanced package. Better than previous vintages. A blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, and 22% Cabernet Franc. 14.5% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $28.

House Family Vineyards

After a career in Silicon Valley technology companies, including a 22-year stint at Intel during its rise to global dominance, David House moved into the wine business. First, at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga, and most recently with the launch of his own brand, House Family Vineyards. House and his family own 73 acres above the town of Saratoga, which have been planted with primarily Cabernet Sauvignon, a bit of Chardonnay, and some smaller quantities of other Bordeaux grape varieties. Jeffrey Patterson from Mount Eden vineyards makes the wines, which debuted with the 2006 vintage.

2006 House Family Vineyards “Estate” Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark garnet in color, this wine smells of lavender, green herbs, and bright cherry fruit with a hint of leather. In the mouth very juicy cherry fruit mixes with leather, green herbs and forest floor underneath a gauzy lace blanket of tannins. Wonderfully bright with excellent acidity, and beautifully balanced with notes of oak that are quite acceptable.. Makes me want to drink a lot of it. 13% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $75.

2007 House Family Vineyards “Estate” Cabernet Sauvignon
Very dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of cassis, black cherry, and dried flowers. In the mouth, black cherry and cocoa powder mix with a faint floral quality and a deep earthy forest floor bass note. Muscular, powdery tannins flex in the background suggesting some time yet to smooth and mellow, but the wine is imminently drinkable and quite tasty. Moderate finish. 13.5% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $60. click to buy.

2008 House Family Vineyards “Estate” Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark garnet in color, this wine smells of black cherry and cassis with a hint of lavender. In the mouth tacky tannins clutch at flavors of black cherry and leather, but there’s a faint hint of something plasticky poking through the wine that is somewhat jarring. It disappears as quickly as it shows up however, leaving pleasant black cherry and even blackberry flavors to linger with oak and leather in the finish. 13.5% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $48. click to buy.

2009 House Family Vineyards “Estate” Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of stony black cherry, leather, and raw incense. In the mouth tightly coiled tannins grasp flavors of black cherry, wet stone, and wet earth with a firm grip. Beautiful acidity and minerality surface in this wine, which has yet to unfold and show what it may be capable of. This is a wine with gravitas and its share of oak, but well integrated. 14% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $48.

2010 House Family Vineyards “Estate” Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark garnet in color, with bright purple highlights, this wine smells of black cherry, caramel, and a hint of oak. In the mouth slightly drying tannins wrap around a core of black cherry fruit that is tinged with flavors of oak. Unfortunately between the tannins and the oak flavors, the fruit seems to fade to the background. 14.4% alcohol. Score: between 8 and 8.5. Cost: $50.

Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard

For the first 30 years of its history, since its founder Ken Burnap let an obsession get the better of his judgement, Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard was located in one of California’s truly historic winegrowing sites. When Burnap purchased the Jarvis Road vineyard in 1974, it had been continuously planted to wine grapes since 1863. It just so happens that the vineyard had been recently replanted to Pinot Noir when Burnap bought it, which was the reason he took the plunge and purchased it with the idea of making Pinot Noir like the Burgundies he had fallen in love with as a young wine drinker. One thing led to another, and after a few years, Burnap was making not only the Pinot Noir from his own vineyards, but purchasing grapes from other Santa Cruz Mountains properties to make additional wines, including Cabernet Sauvignon. In 1979 Burnap hired a college kid named Jeff Emery to help out, and over the course of several decades, Jeff gradually took over the winery’s operations until in 2003, when Burnap retired and made it official. Shortly after that, Burnap sold Emery the winery, which was subsequently moved to an interim home for a few years, before ending up in its current location in the city of Santa Cruz. Emery continues to make the wines (and do just about everything else) along with the help of assistant winemaker Denis Hoey. The winery continues to produce a number of Pinot Noirs as well as Cabernet Sauvignon and several other varieties.

1984 Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard “Bates Ranch” Cabernet Sauvignon
Light blood red in the glass with some chunky sediment, this wine smells of cedar, leather, and prunes. In the mouth, red apple skin, brown sugar, and wet leaves mix with very faint powdery tannins and the light creaminess that can come with older wines. Wonderful acidity still lingers in the wine, making for a tasty, if slightly dried out wine. No alcohol level on the label. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $40

1985 Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard “Bates Ranch” Cabernet Sauvignon
Medium to dark ruby in the glass with a slightly brown cast to it, this wine smells of pencil shavings, sour cherries, and well-worn leather. In the mouth wonderfully juicy flavors of cedar, pencil shavings, incense, and dried red fruits have a gorgeous powdery texture thanks to a fine down blanket of tannins. Citrus notes linger with the cedar and forest floor in the finish. 12.5% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $125

1986 Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard “Bates Ranch” Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark ruby in the glass with a coffee colored cast to it, this wine has a shy nose of stony forest floor and cedar shavings. In the mouth the wine has a coiled tightness, with tannins that have a slight hardness to them still, and flavors of dried apple skin, leather, and dried cherries. Good acidity. 12.5% alcohol. Score: between 8 and 8.5. Cost: $125

1987 Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard “Bates Ranch” Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark ruby in the glass, this wine smells of prune pudding, cedar, and brown sugar. In the mouth, wet leaves, forest floor, and cedar notes mix with a leathery dried cherry fruit under a blanket of fine grained tannins that linger, chalky through the finish. Good acidity and length here. Tastes like a warmer year. 12.5% alcohol. Score: between 8 and 8.5. Cost: $125

Left Bend

What do you get when you let a hydrogeologist loose in the Santa Cruz Mountains with a bicycle and a bottle of wine? A winery waiting to happen, apparently. Proprietor and winemaker Gary Robinson left a career dealing with groundwater for profit, for another career dealing with groundwater, but for a lot less profit. After planting a vineyard in his back yard in Los Gatos and making wine in his garage for a few seasons, he spent two harvests at Testarossa Winery before launching his brand Left Bend, which makes about 250 cases of wine from various vineyards around the Santa Cruz Mountains. In 2013, Robinson was joined by Richard Hanke, who left a career in high-tech marketing and product management to join Robinson’s venture.

2010 Left Bend “Black Ridge Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark garnet in color, this wine has a somewhat shy, compressed nose of licorice and black cherry. In the mouth tightly wound, fine-grained tannins clasp narrow flavors of fennel seeds, black cherry, and earth. Good acidity, but definitely not ready to drink. Unclear how much the wine will blossom with time. 13.9% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $45.

2011 Left Bend “Camel Hill Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of almost entirely new oak and dusty road. In the mouth coconut and vanilla flavors suffuse cherry and earth, but stay constrained primarily to the zone of wood and more wood, letting cherry and a bit of cinnamon sneak through on the finish. Good acidity. 13.9% alcohol. Score: between 8 and 8.5. Cost: $45.

Lexington

A new label from the well known Thomas Fogarty Vineyards, Lexington represents an evolution in that winery’s approach to Bordeaux grape varieties. The winery has long made a Meritage wine named “Lexington,” but apparently winemaker Nathan Kandler and Thomas Fogarty, Jr. have decided it needed its own label. The grapes for the brand’s four red wines are sourced from the Gist Ranch, a property that Kandler has been developing for almost a decade. Farmed organically, the vineyard sits farther to the south than the Fogarty estate on Skyline Boulevard. The 2011 vintage is the first release under the new label, and for the moment, production sits at about 1000 cases across the brand’s four wines.

2011 Lexington “Gist Ranch – Apex” Red Blend
Very dark garnet in color, this wine smells of wet earth, green herbs, and a hint of cassis. In the mouth, juicy bright cherry and cassis are dusted with very fine grained tannins. Juicy bright and long. Great acidity and balance. 14.1% alcohol. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $95.

2011 Lexington “Gist Ranch” Cabernet Sauvignon
Very dark garnet in color, this wine smells of bright cherry and tobacco with a hint of green herbs. In the mouth, juicy bright cherry and green herbs mix with tobacco and wet earth. Not a trace of new oak and quite tasty. Beautiful balance. Very fine tannins. Long finish. 14.1% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $55. click to buy.