California’s North Coast has traditionally set the standard for the state’s Cabernet Sauvignon. Pockets of distinction, however, have risen along the coast. From the Sonoma Valley, which Angeline Vineyards calls home, to as far south as Monterey and Paso Robles, the winery integrates the diverse characteristics of these regions and their vineyards to produce a wine with finesse and balance. The result is this over-achieving Cab – the value is hard to beat.

Due to the great variation in vineyard locations and microclimates, Angeline typically starts picking Cabernet Sauvignon while in the throes of harvesting Pinot Noir (an earlier-ripening varietal), and often continues through to the end of harvest. Each lot is picked overnight, when the vineyard is cool, and delivered to the winery in the early morning hours. Lots are pressed by vineyard: in the cellar, each fermentation receives unique handling depending on the qualities of the fruit, and following fermentation, lots age separately in French and American oak (40% new) for 12 months before the final blend is composed.

This is a very approachable, mellow wine – a pleasure for the Cabernet Sauvignon aficionado and casual red wine-drinker alike. The nose and palate are intense, with notes of baked cherries, ripe boysenberries, cinnamon, clove, and violets. The wine is grounded in earthy graphite and green tea leaves, with a slightly toasty, well-integrated finish.

“Currants, mushrooms, walnuts and orange peel. Dried orange, too. Medium-bodied with nice, juicy fruit and spice and earth. Easy and delicious, dry cabernet. Varietal. Drink now.” 91 points, James Suckling, April 2022