Lot #36 Laurel Glen Vineyard

The wine is from a single block of Laurel Glen’s organically farmed estate vineyard named Block 1. The winery has never bottled wines from individual blocks, and so this is truly a “Never Before, Never Again” selection. Block 1 was the first Cabernet Sauvignon ever planted at Laurel Glen Vineyard in 1968. Previous owner Patrick Campbell always considered it his best block. When Bettina Sichel and her partners bought Laurel Glen Vineyard in 2011, Block 1 was not in good shape. They pulled out the block in 2012, left the ground fallow for two years and replanted in 2014 with different spacing, row direction and trellising. Block 1 is now fully back in production and yielding excellent quality fruit. Its back, baby, and better than before!

Laurel Glen Vineyard is 1,000 feet up the slope of Sonoma Mountain, a much cooler location for Cabernet Sauvignon than most. It produces wine somewhere between California and Bordeaux in terms of acidity, ripeness, and balance. Phil Coturri has farmed the vineyard since 2011. Winemaker Randall Watkins has been crafting powerful yet elegant mountain Cabernet Sauvignon for over 25 years.

Block 1, the source of this wine, was the only vineyard block from 2022 fermented with 25% whole clusters, adding an additional layer of fruit and spice to the finished wine. The strikingly seductive, expressive bouquet of “What’s Old is New Again” offers kirsch, blackcurrant, raspberry and fresh floral scents. It’s suave and silky, with deep but energetic red and dark fruit flavors, baking spices and a terrific mineral lift.

WINEMAKER(S): Randall Watkins

ESTIMATED BOTTLING DATE: July 2024
ESTIMATED SHIPPING DATE: March 2025

National Distribution: CA, FL, GA, IL, KY, MD, MA, MI, MO, NJ, NY, NC, PA, RI, UT, Washington, DC

A winemaker dinner or store visit is offered in your market as part of this lot. Must be scheduled on a mutually agreeable date.