2020 Sea Pines Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Mendocino County
Tasting Notes
The color of this intense Cabernet Sauvignon has a deep cranberry, purple hue with excellent viscosity that coats the glass with long legs indicating the high level of extraction. The nose is very intense with cherry vanilla and ripe blackberry notes which carry into the palate by way of additional blue fruit. The palate is mouth coating and rich with intense huckleberry and blueberry notes with subtle spice and toasted vanilla. The finish is complete with solid blue fruit notes and silky texture as well as mouth-filling tannins from both the Cabernet fruit and the extended time in barrel.
Food Pairings: This ripe and rich Cabernet Sauvignon pairs really well with a salt and pepper grilled New York steak and served with rosemary roasted fingerling potatoes and a mesclun of greens.
Sea Pines Vineyard is a coastal brand made from certified organic grapes. The brand came to be from years of building relationships with the best coastal growers in California who share our passion for sustainability and whole value Organic Winegrowing.
Sea Pines are found along California’s coastline from Monterey through Carmel, Marin, Sonoma, and Mendocino Coasts and signify cooler climates as these trees showcase the windy climate with its Bonsai-type architecture formed from breezy climates.
Vineyard and Winemaking Facts
This organically grown Cabernet Sauvignon is from Cox Vineyard in Ukiah within Mendocino County. This vineyard has been certified organic for over 30 years and farmed by Chuck Vau. The vineyard is a steep hillside vineyard with volcanic red soils perfect for drainage typically limiting yield. This stunning vineyard is 1,800 – 2,000 feet above sea level. The 2020 vintage was a good crop and in a NON-fire year for Mendocino County which produced cosmetically perfect, loosely clustered grapes with no raisins or rot of any kind. The grapes were hand harvested early morning and delivered to the winery shortly after where the grapes were gently destemmed and transferred into the tank where they must be cold soaked for 72 hours with pump-overs 3 times daily. After yeasting the must, the pump-overs continued and fermentation completed in 11 more days for a total of 14 days on the skins.
The wine was separated from the skins through pressing and then transferred into 2-year-old French Oak barrels where the wine was allowed to age for 18 months. The result is a wine that is supple and integrated into its oak profile while full expression is given to the fruit.
Specs
Vintage: 2020
Varietal Composition: Cabernet Sauvignon
Appellation: Mendocino County
Barrel Aging: 100% French Oak, 2nd use barrels for 18 months
Winemakers: Chris Condos & Richard Bruno
Alcohol: 14.1%
Total Acidity: 6.0g/L
pH: 3.46
Residual Sugar: Dry
Production: 1,500 cases
What’s Included
3-bottles:
3x 2020 Sea Pines Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Mendocino County
Case:
12x 2020 Sea Pines Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Mendocino County
Owners: Richard Bruno (Vinum), Chris Condos & Suzanne Hagins (Horse & Plow)
Founded: 1997
Location: Napa, CA
Vinum Cellars is a collaboration of winemakers Richard Bruno and Chris Condos, who first became friends while they were students at UC Davis. They share a long-standing passion for Chenin Blanc and a fondness for the more obscure grape varieties.
After graduation, Chris went to work for Pine Ridge as Enologist, and Richard went to Bonny Doon as their distiller. Shortly after, their friendship was solidified over Chenin Blanc with the creation of their first wine “Pointe Blanc”. Currently, the Vinum Cellars team is working with over 14 grape varieties from El Dorado and San Benito Counties to Napa Valley.
A brand sourced from two distinctly different vineyard locations: one from Monterey on the Central Coast and the other in Clarksburg near the Sacramento Delta. The cool coastal climate of Monterey is well known for its early morning fog and cooler temperatures allowing the grapes to mature slowly and maintain natural acidity. Clarksburg has the reverse trend weather-wise and enjoys the early morning sunshine which is moderated by the early afternoon breezes from the San Francisco Bay. The maturation model and degree days are comparable and the fruit expresses it.
As an environmentally conscious company, Vinum Cellars works only with sustainable growers to create Eco-Friendly products. The packaging choices were made specifically to minimize their carbon footprint. Some of those features are: Domestically produced lightweight, Eco-Series glass; labels and cartons using only non-toxic, water-based inks and each of these suppliers recycle 100% of the waste created by manufacturing our packaging.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, ID, IL, KS, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WI, WY
2020 Sea Pines Vineyard, Mendocino County Cab Sauv
This cab poured beautiful garnett with hint of rubi red along the edges, very inviting. On the nose lots of red currant, ripe red strawberries, light floral hints…almost reminiscent of a pinot imo. Taste felt well rounded, immediately felt some acidity hit front of tongue and quickly hitting the back leaving a slight salivating sensation. Wine was medium to light body with low tannins, nice drawn out finish with no heavy presence of the 14% alcohol.
Had some friends over, who are not big on cabs, have a tasting which they really enjoyed. They said it felt easy to drink and couldn’t believe it was high alcohol. Easy to see this red is an easy crowd pleaser.
Overall this was a pleasant cab without a heavy dry finish but enough to remind you it’s still a cab. I would say this is a good intro red cab to non cab drinkers.
2020 Sea Pines Vineyard, Mendocino County Cab Sauv
Lab rat checking in! My SO and I received the bottle last Wednesday but were out of town until Tuesday afternoon, so the bottle had plenty of time to rest after shipping.
We typically drink dry reds and whites and enjoy cabernet sauvignon, but usually with at least 10 years of age on the wine. We drink a fair amount of CS, from Pedroncelli and Wellington, up to higher end offerings. Fair warning, my partner has the much better palate and she is just getting over a sinus infection, so the details are down to me more than normal!
Onto the review!
The bottle has a nice weight and deep punt with attractive / understated labels front and back. Off to a good start!!
Popping the agglomerate cork shows some dark staining but no cork seepage, indicating the wine was not recently bottle.
The wine is clear and free of sediment with a dark red core and lightening towards the edges with zero sign of bricking (confirmed, it is young!)
On pnp, the wine is very tight. We tasted from universal glasses. The nose had red fruits and a bit of cocoa. The palate had some chocolate but was tight with strong tannins and some alcohol and astringency.
We drank half the bottle over a few hours, giving the wine plenty of time to breathe in the glass. The wine slowly started to open up and mellow out a bit. The nose became much more pleasant with red fruits, some vanilla, and SO thought she caught a whiff of green pepper. The palate had cherry, lots of mocha, with a fairly long and enjoyable finish for such a young cab.
We corked half the bottle under air to see how it is doing tomorrow and will report back.
We both thought this more of a weekend wine and not a mid-week sipper. It is not overly complex, but it does have some nuance and we would be happy to open it with a steak dinner on a Saturday evening with some friends.
We both agreed we would be happy to pick this up from a local shop around $25/bottle, so the Casemates pricing seems like a good buy. Now to see if it has legs to age a little!
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
2020 Sea Pines Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon - $80 = 33.33%
I am with you. I am european but live in California. I love wine so naturally I try to appreciate what’s on my doorstep but honestly, I am disappointed in CA cabs every time. I have had quality bottles but I find the fruit and the vanilla just overbearing. No balance. At least not in the wines I’ve tried.
@nosir512a
CA Cabs tend to be big “New World” wines, made in the style preferred by wine critic Robert Parker. You would probably enjoy them more with 10+ years in the cellar behind them. There are a few producers who attempt to create “Old World” style wines. When it comes to Cabs, recommend you try something from Cathy Corison.
Corison wines are not cheap but I think you would appreciate them. Her Kronos Vineyard Cabs are especially good.
@chipgreen@nosir512a
This is a good point I did not put in my review. We absolutely prefer old world style wines and do not drink overly extracted cabs. The wine on offer is solid and much more restrained than a lot of cheap CA cabs.
2020 Sea Pines Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Mendocino County
Tasting Notes
Vineyard and Winemaking Facts
Specs
What’s Included
3-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale online, $384.00/case MSRP
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, ID, IL, KS, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Apr 3 - Tuesday, Apr 4
2020 Sea Pines Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
3 bottles for $59.99 $20/bottle + $2.67/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $159.99 $13.33/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2020 Sea Pines Vineyard, Mendocino County Cab Sauv
This cab poured beautiful garnett with hint of rubi red along the edges, very inviting. On the nose lots of red currant, ripe red strawberries, light floral hints…almost reminiscent of a pinot imo. Taste felt well rounded, immediately felt some acidity hit front of tongue and quickly hitting the back leaving a slight salivating sensation. Wine was medium to light body with low tannins, nice drawn out finish with no heavy presence of the 14% alcohol.
Had some friends over, who are not big on cabs, have a tasting which they really enjoyed. They said it felt easy to drink and couldn’t believe it was high alcohol. Easy to see this red is an easy crowd pleaser.
Overall this was a pleasant cab without a heavy dry finish but enough to remind you it’s still a cab. I would say this is a good intro red cab to non cab drinkers.
/giphy lucrative-factual-pilsner
2020 Sea Pines Vineyard, Mendocino County Cab Sauv
Lab rat checking in! My SO and I received the bottle last Wednesday but were out of town until Tuesday afternoon, so the bottle had plenty of time to rest after shipping.
We typically drink dry reds and whites and enjoy cabernet sauvignon, but usually with at least 10 years of age on the wine. We drink a fair amount of CS, from Pedroncelli and Wellington, up to higher end offerings. Fair warning, my partner has the much better palate and she is just getting over a sinus infection, so the details are down to me more than normal!
Onto the review!
The bottle has a nice weight and deep punt with attractive / understated labels front and back. Off to a good start!!
Popping the agglomerate cork shows some dark staining but no cork seepage, indicating the wine was not recently bottle.
The wine is clear and free of sediment with a dark red core and lightening towards the edges with zero sign of bricking (confirmed, it is young!)
On pnp, the wine is very tight. We tasted from universal glasses. The nose had red fruits and a bit of cocoa. The palate had some chocolate but was tight with strong tannins and some alcohol and astringency.
We drank half the bottle over a few hours, giving the wine plenty of time to breathe in the glass. The wine slowly started to open up and mellow out a bit. The nose became much more pleasant with red fruits, some vanilla, and SO thought she caught a whiff of green pepper. The palate had cherry, lots of mocha, with a fairly long and enjoyable finish for such a young cab.
We corked half the bottle under air to see how it is doing tomorrow and will report back.
We both thought this more of a weekend wine and not a mid-week sipper. It is not overly complex, but it does have some nuance and we would be happy to open it with a steak dinner on a Saturday evening with some friends.
We both agreed we would be happy to pick this up from a local shop around $25/bottle, so the Casemates pricing seems like a good buy. Now to see if it has legs to age a little!
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
2020 Sea Pines Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon - $80 = 33.33%
I am with you. I am european but live in California. I love wine so naturally I try to appreciate what’s on my doorstep but honestly, I am disappointed in CA cabs every time. I have had quality bottles but I find the fruit and the vanilla just overbearing. No balance. At least not in the wines I’ve tried.
@nosir512a
CA Cabs tend to be big “New World” wines, made in the style preferred by wine critic Robert Parker. You would probably enjoy them more with 10+ years in the cellar behind them. There are a few producers who attempt to create “Old World” style wines. When it comes to Cabs, recommend you try something from Cathy Corison.
Corison wines are not cheap but I think you would appreciate them. Her Kronos Vineyard Cabs are especially good.
@chipgreen @nosir512a
This is a good point I did not put in my review. We absolutely prefer old world style wines and do not drink overly extracted cabs. The wine on offer is solid and much more restrained than a lot of cheap CA cabs.
@nosir512a How novel.
May get a case of these so I have them next time I am in Sea Pines Resort (HHI)
@browncj7 you know, I have a dim memory of staying there with my extended family sometime in the 1980s. I thought of it as soon as I saw the label.