2018 Watkins Family Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Redwood Hill Sonoma County

Grown in one of the most flawless seasons Sonoma County has ever seen, this tiny-production release comes from the Redwood Hill Vineyard, which shares a fenceline with Bugay, the vineyard that has supplied several sell-out Watkins Cabernets. The site sits some 1,400 feet up on a Mayacamas hilltop, enjoying a panoramic view. 

“It’s the top of Redwood Hill Road, the very last property there,” Randall told us when we caught up last week. “It’s got a 360-degree view: To the east is the best view I’ve ever seen of Mount Saint Helena. To the north you see Geyser Peak and Alexander Mountain. You can see the Coastal Range to the west, and almost to San Francisco on a really clear day.” 

Watkins makes wine for top names like Laurel Glen, but his heart is in the family business, which his father started in 1979. He specializes in mountain wines, specifically those from the rock-strewn slopes of the Mayacamas. He focuses on sites with enough warmth and sun exposure to ripen late into the growing season, along with well-draining soils that stress the vines and lead to small, thick-skinned, ultra-concentrated berries.

The Redwood Hill Vineyard has just over four acres of Cabernet, planted on the south-facing part of the hill, while an acre of Merlot faces north. The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon comprises 80% Cabernet and 20% Merlot, grown above the frosts and fog. Caressed by cool mountain air, the grapes mature slowly and evenly, maintaining acidity as they achieve optimal sugar and phenolic ripeness.

Aged in 2/3 new French oak and rested since the outstanding 2018 season, this bottle will certainly age beautifully, although it’s fantastic right now. 

• Fruit Intensity
• Oak Intensity
• Body
• Acidity
• Tannin

• ABV 14.40%
• 1 hour
• Now – 2032
• 80% Cabernet Sauvignon20% Merlot
• Serving temperature – 58°
• Cork