Laurel Glen Vineyards: Sonoma's Mountain Wine

I've had a few wines from the mountains of California in my time. I've even reviewed one recently and have a few more in the queue. That's a great thing because, as I mentioned in my post and my video about mountain fruit versus valley floor fruit, elevation matters. Wine from the mountains has a very different quality from wine from the valley and I won't be shy in saying, I dig the more subtle, complex flavors from these vineyards on high.

Napa mountain vineyards have been my wines of choice in the past (Howell Mountain, Spring Mountain, Mount Veeder) so I was excited to have a little Sonoma in my life. When Laurel Glen Vineyards, located on Sonoma Mountain, southeast of the Russian River Valley, sent me two bottles of their Cabernet to try I was excited to dig in (the wines were gratis but I will review them honestly, as always).

Laurel Glen has been around a long time for Sonoma. The vineyard was planted in the 1880s, had an up and down history, and then it was purchased by Patrick Campbell in 1977. He was a real pioneer. With his 11 acre vineyard and small winery, the guy had a dedication to quality that helped prove that mountain winemaking wasn't just something Napa could do. 

An advocate for Sonoma and for the small guys, Campbell also was a huge consumer advocate: he was instrumental in getting the Supreme Court to allow direct-to-consumer interstate shipping of wine, which has become essential for smaller wineries who can't get their product out through the traditional distribution systems. 

It's a score for us too -- in many states (the fight against free trade continues) we are finally being treated like adults, who can buy wines we want, when we want them. Ridiculous that it has ever been otherwise and still is in some states, but I digress (see freethegrapes.org for more info on this).

After 34 years of making wine and fighting the good fight, in 2011 Campbell felt he'd taken Laurel Glen as far as he could take it so he sold it to Bettina Sichel, the Chief Marketing Officer at Quintessa, which is a prestigious, very luxurious, fancy winery on the Silverado Trail in Napa (I have never been there. A place that charges $50+ for a tasting is far from normal) and a few investors. The only plans that were immediately revealed were that the winery would double its capacity from about 3,000 cases (36K bottles) per year to its maximum allowed, 6,000 cases (72K bottles). If it were a larger quantity, I'd say the wine was doomed to become corporate, homogenized nastiness, but even double capacity is pretty small, so I think this wine remain true to its roots.

I was mixed about these wines, but I think they've got great potential. I'm looking forward to what the new team churns out. For now, here's what I thought of the two wines:

Wine 1: 2009 Laurel Glen Counterpoint Cabernet Sauvignon

Where it's from: Sonoma Mountain

Grape: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Alcohol: 13.7%

Price: $30

Quick Note: This is a "second wine" made from grapes that didn't make the cut for the estate Cabernet. A good effort. Here are some quick notes: 

Ruby colored with a watery rim and decent legs from the nearly 14% alcohol. The wine smelled earthy and dusty, a little floral, and like blackberry and mint. A little light to taste, with strong tannins and acid with lots of vanilla and black plum fruit flavors. It was a good Cab, but nothing really special. 

Some second wines have a unique quality that helps them stand apart from their "parent" -- I think Ms. Sichel and her team may want to think about rejiggering the Counterpoint. For the price there are better options.


Wine 2: 2009 Laurel Glen Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon

Where it's from: Sonoma Mountain

Grape: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Alcohol: 14.3%

Price: $70

This wine, from estate grown fruit, is worth a more detailed note. This was  a solid Cabernet and is worth a try. 

Color: A deep, dark ruby color -- very pigmented. Thick legs that stained the glass as they dripped down were cues about the 14%+alcohol level and the ripeness of those grapes.

Smell: I had this over two days. At first it was a little closed and not so aromatic but on the second day it opened up and was amazing. Yes, it had the blackberry, black currant, and floral notes that a lot of California Cabs have but there was a woody, dusty, forest quality to this wine that was unique and so natural. The damp earth and leather notes against the juicy fruit smells were amazing. It smelled like fresh fruit off the vine. 

Taste: Surprisingly, the wine didn't taste like all that delicious natural earth. Instead it had a fruit punch flavor -- like cherry and strawberry. There was a nice vanilla and mint flavor and the  acidity was great. The mouthdrying tannins helped balance the fruitiness and gave the wine more complexity. 

Drink or Sink? This is a very good Cabernet. It's different from a lot of Cabernets I've had from Sonoma and it has peaked my interest in Sonoma Mountain and the Glen Ellen area, which I haven't really explored. Do I think this is a $70 Cab? No. But if you can get it for $40- $45 (which is just a little less than the average price on Wine-Searcher), do it. 

Thanks to Laurel Glen for the wines, and for opening my eyes to another part of Sonoma that I need to explore. I'm heading out in the spring, so Sonoma Mountain and Laurel Glen will be on the list!