For Meyer Family Cellars, the most venerated parcel of land is Bonny’s Vineyard, which Justin Meyer named for his wife and planted in 1972. The winery has almost twenty acres of Cabernet Sauvignon planted in Oakville, a region with well-drained, sandy-gravelly soils and cooling effects in the form of fog and breezes from San Pablo Bay. The Meyer Family has farmed and produced Cabernet Sauvignon in the heart of Oakville since the early 1970s.

2016 was the last of four long years of drought which had a profound impact on the grapevines. With little water in the ground the vines started their growing season earlier each year. 2016 was by far the earliest we had seen vines bud out in over a decade but luckily there was no frost in the Spring. The Summer was moderate allowing plenty of hang time into the Fall even with an early harvest. The smaller crop load allowed generous fruit flavor development in the vineyard.

The 2016 vintage has lived up to this great year’s expectations. And, as always with Bonny’s Vineyard, intense, concentrated fruit at moderate alcohol levels are what make the wine immediately enjoyable and also built for long-term aging. Out of the bottle, the nose displays ripe blackberry and currant, followed by a distinct note of eucalyptus. Three years in new American oak help layer in complex flavors of vanilla and caramel, along with a little clove, cardamom, and exotic spice.899msFast