Wilson Winery
2007 Sonoma County Vineman Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
California: Sonoma County
Mission Briefing
The Anomaly
Today’s Wilson Winery 2007 Sonoma County Vineman Cabernet Sauvignon is a fantastic wine. It started out, though, as a real head scratcher. You see, the wine was very shy at first. It seemed muted and somewhat subdued. As we swirled the wine, it really sprang to life. This was a great surprise and so we encourage you to have this same experience. Try the wine right out of the bottle, but decant or swirl vigorously to see how the wine transforms.
We were lucky to have one of our favorite winemakers, [REDACTED], on our panel when we tried the wine. His insights were very valuable. His most important declaration about the wine was that it would be well described as a declassified Bordeaux. “It has that sort of initial flavor profile and appeal,” he said.
We really enjoy Diane Wilson’s wines, and this one was a thrill for us to taste. Your enjoyment of this wine will increase exponentially with some extended decanting or hearty swirling. While the wine does not possess a great deal of extracted fruit, it is a tasty, elegant and somewhat serious treat.
Tasting Profile
| Look: | Slightly translucent crimson through and through, with just a touch of lighter red at its edge. |
|---|---|
| Smell: | Leads with subtle dark fruit notes of stewed black currant and plum. These are quickly followed by aromas of fresh forest floor, freshly spread straw, espresso bean, black pepper, and hibiscus herbal tea. As the wine breathes, it unveils added fresh fruit aromas. |
| Taste: | Elegant and Bordeaux-esque on the palate, this is a wonderful terroir-driven Cabernet. The stewed dark fruit sits atop a foundation of sweet tobacco, blackberry bramble, aged mahogany cigar box, white pepper, clove, and a subtle note of fresh rosemary. |
| Finish: | After decanting, this wine opens up to present a refined and elegant quality, with the dark fruit, earth, and spice notes each playing off each other beautifully. A wonderfully long finish, with well-structured tannins. |
| Pairing: | Pan seared ribeye steak, with a rosemary butter reduction, served with roasted root vegetables. |
What the Winery Says
Intriguing aromas of creamy coffee, cassis, blackberry and spicy cedar are lush on the palate. The silky texture offers up hints of fresh cherry, dark chocolate, cola and rich mocha. This is a smooth, well-balanced wine.
- Winemaker
- Diane Wilson
- Winemaker Accolades
- Woman Winemaker of the Year - 2008, Unprecedented back-to-back Sonoma County Harvest Fair Sweepstakes Winner - 2005 & 2006
- Appellation
- Sonoma County, California
- Vineyard
- Wilson Family Estate
- Cooperage
- 36 months in French oak
- ABV
- 14.5%
About the Winery
Honored as Woman Winemaker of the Year in 2008, and winning unprecedented back-to-back Sonoma County Harvest Fair Sweepstakes in 2005 and 2006 Diane Wilson has shot to the forefront of the Sonoma County wine industry. These highly–regarded awards, coupled with dozens of 90+ scores and close to 100 Gold Medals, demonstrate Diane’s strong track record as an outstanding winemaker.
Diane describes her winemaking style as unorthodox. “My goal is to maximize the fruit flavor of the grape, making sure each wine has a front, a middle and a back, so it produces a full, rich mouth feel. To do this, it is all about balance. It is about having the right amount of skin contact during fermentation to extract flavor and color without getting too much tannin. It is about leaving the wine to age in barrels for the ideal length of time to soften the tannins awhile adding the flavor of oak without overpowering the delicate flavors of the fruit.”