2019 Chad Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Valley

Chad was breathing heavily when he called, and we could hear the wind howling on speakerphone.

“Ok, I did it. I came up here, and yeah, it’s outrageous. The Mayacamas to the east. The forest. Wildflowers all over. But one thing.” Chad was huffing and puffing, and we could sense a bit of annoyance in his voice. “I used to be able to run up these mountainsides. Not any more. My knees are shot. I’m too stiff, too tired, too…OLD!”

Later in the day, we met outside the St. Helena Coffee Roaster. We brought the stemware and Chad brought his new bottling of 2019 Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, drawn from the same hillside vineyard from which Chad had called. 

“In good vintages,” he said, “and in the most masterful hands, a few Knights Valley vineyards put out Cabernet that stands tall against the best of Spring Mountain and Mount Veeder. But in 2019,” Chad winked as he poured the purple-black Cabernet into Zalto Universals. “The best of the best outpoint Pritchard Hill. This is one of those.”

The 2019 vintage, particularly in the cooler mountain perches, was one for the record books on the North Coast. April and May featured copious rainfall, and that would pay tremendous dividends during the warm summer months. Due to the cool, damp spring, budbreak came a bit late, but under ideal conditions, making for plentiful fruit-set. The summer months featured a seemingly endless series of dry, sun-drenched days. The winds off the Pacific were cleansing, as cool nights helped slow down maturity, allowing for extended hang time, explaining the vivid purple-black color and ripe tannin structure of the 2019 CHAD.

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

• ABV 14.50%
• 15 mins
• Now – 2029
• 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
• Serving temperature – 62°
• Cork