“These are clearly world-class Cabernet Sauvignons and should be considered by any serious collector for their cellars.” – Robert Parker

A special treat of Hidden Ridge. Way back in 2004 they released the first ever Cabernet. The silk screen label was different, but the winemaking was all the same. If you want a total collector’s item, with age, and years ahead of it, this is your ticket.

Featuring one of the most ICONIC, yet literally ‘hidden’ from plain sight producers ever known. For nearly a decade, the savviest Cab collectors held a closely guarded secret. One whispered about in discussion forums and shared by word of mouth.

They knew where to find the golden goose. Or as it was, the undervalued Cabernet at a too-good-to-be-true price.

“One of the finest Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignons ever produced” as Robert Parker described it.

If you hung out on the Wine Berserkers forum (here’s a thread to read if you haven’t been there), you probably know the name already.

Hidden Ridge.

From to inaugural 2005 vintage on, $55 got you their “entry-level” 55-degree slope bottling. And for $125 you could get the cult-crushing Impassable Mountain (named by 19th century surveyors who were trying to lay a stagecoach line through these steep slopes) Reserve. Both wines consistently scored big among critics and were unrivaled at their price points.

And like the Costco hot dog, or the Arizona iced teas, the prices remained fixed for years. All the way up until the 2013 Reserve got a perfect 100 points. (Good luck finding one anywhere near affordable nowadays!)

Except… tucked in the far recesses of their cellar remained a small handful of cases from older vintages. And we mean actual handfuls - we gathered a smattering of vintages ranging from 2007 to 2013. There’s not much of ANY of them, but what remains is yours for the taking if you move quickly.

So what made this such a unique and coveted wine among the Cab cognoscenti?

Obviously, the price was relatively low for the extremely high quality of the wines produced. That was largely in part to Tim Milos. He began at Opus One and went on to consult with high-end producers like Cliff Lede, Haber, and Viluko. Then there was his co-winemaker Marco DiGiulio who cut his teeth with mountain Cabernets at Robert Pepi, Lokoya, and Girard. Their efforts at Hidden Ridge earned consistently big scores, culminating in a perfect 100 from Robert Parker on the 2013 Reserve.

Then there’s the vineyard itself. Yes, it’s technically a Sonoma Cab, but the property sits just across the border from Napa. You’ll find Pride Mountain, Paloma, and Vineyard 7 & 8 just a stone’s throw away. But without “Napa” on the label it was always harder to command the higher prices.

It’s a prime site, between 1,200-1,700 feet elevation, on “impassibly” steep slopes. The original owner spent years terracing the vineyard and it’s not even legally allowed these days. Anything over 15 degrees is considered too dangerous and too steep but they were grandfathered in. The rugged terrain means the vines have excellent drainage, and struggle to thrive, which is exactly what you want for big, structured, age-worthy Cabernet.

Consider for a moment the average price of a Napa Cab tops $100 these days. And the cult-level stuff goes for much more.

Today we’re rolling back the clock. We can’t go back in time to get Apple stock for $10, or Bitcoin for pennies. But we can get the 55% Slope for the SAME price it sold for back in 2007, and the Reserve for just $25 higher than it’s original release.

Oh, one more thing, the reviews, you’re wondering?

Not all of these were rated. We tasted ALL of them and can vouch all being EXTRAORDINARY wines.

Those that scored with Robert Parker are all in the 94-100 range and they are noted in the individual wines. Since these have a fair amount of cellar age, the notes are not shared because they are from when they had youthful tannins and exuberance. Even the oldest 2007 and 2008 have held up insanely well, showing modest age on the nose and palate, with incredible depth, richness and gobs of dark fruit remaining. Take a look at the CellarTracker reviews for recent notes from others and you’ll see things like “Easily rivals competition at 4-5x it’s price point” and “You would think at 15 years of age it slowed down?! No way! Magnificent!”.

There’s no doubt every one of these vintages has evolved into its own irresistible, perpetual masterpiece. Per Parker these can be, “reminiscent of the great classics from the golden era of the Mayacamas on the Napa side (such as the 1968, 1970, 1973 and 1974)…”

Fair warning, you will not see these wines again. This is all that remains, anywhere…