Don’t confuse this single vineyard (Gateway!) from the larger regional offering from Arbuckle. Willow Creek is one of the BEST districts for age-worthy cab, and having tried both, (including the regional Paso one our competitors ran earlier this month), we felt that the fruit that went into this mouth-watering bottle made ALL the difference. We chose the single vineyard!

For just Under $35 for a single-vineyard Cab out of Paso’s Willow Creek District… crazzzy! If you like what what Coombsville or Mount Veeder sub-appellations contribute to Cabernet from Napa, then read on OP’s!!

Arbuckle Ridge was never really on our radar for Cabernet Sauvignon before…We have tasted outstanding …We mean like OUTSTANDING wines from them before, but we wanted to test the waters first with something we know y’all like to purchase a lot of and that is CAB!

Now if you love Napa and are kinda like…I know nothing about Paso…let us enlighten you a bit.

Willow Creek’s high elevation, marine-cooled climate, and calcareous limestone/shale soils give Cabernet more structure, minerality, and freshness than the warmer, flatter parts of Paso. The results are Cabernet with real backbone and age-worthy structure rather than the bigger, plusher, more overtly ripe style found on Paso’s east side.

The ERA of only mediocre mass-produced wines from PASO is DONE!

We never want to draw sweeping generalizations that one AVA is better than another, BUT…. there is a reason why winemakers and investors are flocking to Paso! And especially the Willow Creek District…being mostly a high elevation mountainous stretch of the coastal range, that elevation and soil profile plays a similar role to what Coombsville or Mount Veeder do in Napa, especially when we get our dirt geek on!

Now throw in a SINGLE VINEYARD…. as Scotty did, Gateway Vineyard And it is pure genius! We do confess though, the label had us before the wine did: a rock arch cut into the California coast, a natural gateway if we’ve ever seen one. Though his labels are very similar with black and white photography, not to confused with other Cabernet’s he makes, like the larger regional Paso CAB.

Nope…this one is all from one single source; the vineyard that LXV has bottled it to real acclaim, and so has My Favorite Neighbor, Booker’s second label. When a vineyard keeps turning up next to names like that, it’s worth paying attention to!

Although the wine speaks for itself and then some. At least the critics thought so….

James Suckling landed this at 93 points, calling out concentrated currant and mountain berry fruit sliced through with graphite-like minerals.” Vinous too remarks “a saline inflection to mingle with fine tannins while tapering off with unexpected freshness.”

And as some of our own Spies indulged in this 100% pure Cabernet Sauvignon, they chimed in: “Tasty”, “Well Done!”, “Young, and it’s a keeper & will age well…” How could this unassuming coastal ocean pic label deliver such deliciousness?!?!

Scott Saunders is a fifth-gen Paso Robles native who grew up among the vines before he could legally drink what came from them. Arbuckle Ridge is his passion project, born from a single barrel in 2011, separate from his family’s other winery, Hearst Ranch.

In the glass, it’s a baby, but trust us, it will reward you and your friends to impress many years later. Though, if you do want to enjoy it now, it’s best to open it up a few hours before you want to drink it. We highly recommend a full decant.

Dark cocoa and cedar sit next to blackberry and graphite minerality on the nose. Its palate explodes with succulent boysenberry, plum, a mineral edge with refreshing acidity, and a finish that keeps going. It is medium-bodied, very reminiscent of classical mountain fruit textures. This wine was incredible on day 2 as well, and honestly, if it weren’t so darn tasty, we’d have loved to see it evolve to day 3 too, but OOPS, it was too good! That always happens with delicious wines! We lack willpower! Do you?

It was such a great surprise, and it kept us engaged long after Tasting Day One. We are looking forward to seeing what else comes from Scott in the years to come! Like Emperor Palpatine of Star Wars would say, “We’ll be watching Scott’s career with great interest.

At over 60% OFF it’s a no-brainer. By the way, we took all that Scott had left, so get in on it before it’s gone. The snooze you lose applies here!