Mission Codename Twennytwo
In a world where the $5 footlong is now $10, and a family dinner at Five Guys runs north of $100, THIS is a refreshing sight.
An honest, $75 Cabernet priced at a record-scratching $22!! Seriously - take a look around your favorite wine shop and see how many $22 Cabs from a top appellation you can find.
We’ll wait… but what little we have of this will not last that long with over 70% OFF!
Small, family-run wineries like this make for some of our most favorite offers. Describing Connell Family Vineyards as “small” might be misleading. Micro is better suited considering they make just ONE wine - a Cabernet Sauvignon, in such finite amounts it’s amazing that we have ANY.
Jim Connell came to California Wine Country from New Jersey and slowly but surely made a name for himself in the world of wine. His resume includes running some of our personal favorites of the wine scene: Domaine Chandon, Bonny Doon, Medlock Ames, and Quivira. All the while, he was building his own property and planting a vineyard in Chalk Hill.
After years of working for others, he cut loose and focused on his very own 1,500 vines. At 800 feet elevation, the vineyard is a bit cooler than its neighboring Alexander Valley or Calistoga appellations. This is why Vérité, Medlock Ames, Stuhlmuller, and Lancaster Estate are all within a stone’s throw away. The grapes from this corner of Chalk Hill are known for their elegant and bold flavors… that his former employers would have died to be able to replicate.
This drinks PRIME right now, showing a core of blackcurrant, blackberry and fruit outlined by savory herbs, crushed stone, violet and bittersweet cacao nibs. Toasty oak and vanilla rounds out the finish. This shows strong, right out the bottle, no decanting needed. A little swirl, a sip, and you’ll be patting yourself on the back for a job well done securing some. You did secure some, didn’t you??
After all, finding a small production, passion-project Cabernet priced like this is a rare treat, even in our world of daily deals…
What the Winery Says
2020 Chalk Hill Estate Cabernet Sauvignon


- Proprietor/winemaker
- Jim Connell
- Varietals
- 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot
- Vintage
- 2020
- Alcohol
- 14.5%
- Appellation
- Chalk Hill, Sonoma County
- Vineyard
- Connell Family Estate
- Soils
- Granite, with volcanic and clay
- Total acidity
- 6.2 g/L
- pH
- 3.52
- Aging
- 24 months
- Barrels
- 33% new French oak
About the Winery
Connell Family Vineyards





