Lot 7 2023 Coombsville District Cabernet Sauvignon 750ml

92-POINTS James Suckling: Perfumed, lifted and generous, with aromas of red and black fruit, minerals, dried herbs, dried flowers and spices. The palate is bright and crunchy, with a generous texture, firmly framed tannins and a savory finish. Drink or hold.

100% Coombsville estate vineyard? Check.
Legendary consulting winemaker? Check.
Luxury 50-60% new French oak barrel regimen? Check.
$100-$150+ pedigree juice? Check

Those of you who have been with me for a while know I am a huge Coombsville fan.  Beautifully aromatic with plenty of backbone, Coombsville Cabernet's combine verve and complexity with robust, energetic structures. 

Lot 7 2023 Coombsville Cabernet Sauvignon comes to us from an estate vineyard with the classic soil substructure of cobbly loam, small volcanic rocks and ash that, along with the fantastic diurnal swing of San Pablo bay, combine to make the wines from this region so distinctive.

The producer initially offered us two separate Lots: one the bottling blend from their Coombsville appellation program along with a small lot of 3 barrels from their very expensive estate vineyard designate Cabernet program (~25% of the overall blend). I initially wanted to keep them separate but they blended beautifully (plus the logistics and losses involved with bottling three barrels are a PITA) so it was an easy decision to blend these together.

The source winery offers their Coombsville Cabernet for over $100/bottle and we can see the 2020 and 2021 vintages still in the market selling between $100 and $140. The estate vineyard designate program runs well north of $300/bottle. Both programs routinely score in the 93-100 point range from the major critics. Without a doubt a Top 10 player in Coombsville.

Folks this is a stunning wine and an incredible value at $25/bottle. 

Run, don't walk to the buy line.

This wine is one of the more muscular styles for the appellation but perhaps it is just a function of the vintage. Dark and virtually opaque in the glass, the bouquet is meaty and dense with ripe crushed blackberry, damson plum, graphite, and cocoa with a kiss of tobacco leaf and a halo of purple flowers. Ripe, delicious on entry with a luscious core of creme de cassis and blackcurrant flavors accentuated by purple flowers and sage notes over a robust yet plushly integrated tannin structure accented by crushed volcanic rock minerality that gives the wine some real energy. Exceptionally pure and surprisingly drinkable now, this sexy badass of a Cabernet will age gracefully for another decade or two.

100% Cabernet Sauvignon
100% Coombsville
50-60% new French Oak
15.0% alc.
~230 cases produced
Bottled June 27 2025