🏷️ Lot Overview
Region: Alexander Valley (Pocket Peak AVA)
Vintage: 2023
Blend: 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Malbec, 2% Petite Verdot
ChatGPT Original Source Guess: Skipstone Vineyards (Alt: Verité or Medlock Ames)
Wine Berserkers Guess: Emmitt-Scorsone
Alcohol: 14.5%
Oak Aging: 50% new French oak
Cam Price: $12.42 ($149/case)
Retail Estimate: $60
Drink Window: Late 2025–2038
🍷 Cameron’s Release Notes
Afternoon delight!
Sourced from an amazing vineyard site at 1,300–1,500 feet elevation in the mountains of newly formed Pocket Peak sub-AVA in Alexander Valley, Lot 37 2023 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a gorgeous wine. Beautifully perfumed aromatics combine with an elegantly rendered-yet-robust mountain structure to produce one of the more sophisticated and pure Cabernets I’ve tasted from this region—truly an artfully crafted, fine-tuned, terroir-driven effort with exquisite precision.
The producer is a small boutique operation (the lot size here of 330 gallons will only get us about 130 cases of wine) but rest assured, this is first-run juice produced at a super high-end custom crush facility and raised in 50% new French oak cooperage.
Normally $60/bottle, today it’s yours for just $149/case DELIVERED. Trust me folks, this is an elegant, sophisticated, and remarkably terroir-driven wine—and an absolute steal at this price.
Tasting Notes
Vibrant deep ruby in the glass with a beautiful, lively bouquet featuring spicy, powdery florals mingling with blackcurrant and black cherry, complexed with pencil lead, tobacco leaf, and light cocoa. Super lifted and pretty—the nose alone is worth the price of admission.
Medium-full bodied on entry with exquisite balance yet bursting with elegantly rendered boysenberry and blackcurrant over mineral-driven tannins and a sweet tobacco flourish. Finishing long, pure, and energetic—this is a sophisticated, site-driven Cabernet Sauvignon that perfectly captures the Pocket Peak AVA’s signature mountain freshness and lift.
94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Malbec, 2% Petite Verdot
100% Alexander Valley (Pocket Peak AVA)
50% new French oak
14.5% alc.
~130 cases produced
🧠ChatGPT says
🔍 Source Guess: Skipstone Vineyards (Alt: Verité or Medlock Ames)
🎯 Rationale
- Pocket Peak AVA Origin: The Pocket Peak sub-AVA sits on the eastern mountains of Alexander Valley, where Skipstone Vineyards is a leading estate and one of the few with plantings between 1,200–1,500 feet elevation.
- Style & Elevation Match: Descriptions like “spicy, floral,” “fine-tuned,” and “mountain structure” align directly with Skipstone’s elegant, Bordeaux-inspired Cabernet style, typically crafted under consulting winemaker Philippe Melka.
- Scale & Price: $60 retail is low for Verité but exactly within Skipstone’s second-label or declassified lot range.
- Custom Crush Reference: The mention of a “high-end custom crush facility” fits Skipstone, which partners for small-lot blending and finishing off-site.
- Alternates: Medlock Ames could be a secondary candidate given its elevation, AVA overlap, and elegant, balanced style; Verité fits the profile but is less likely due to higher pricing and internal blending control.
Given the clues, Skipstone Vineyards is the most probable origin.
⏳ Drink Window
Early Enjoyment:
This is high-altitude mountain Cabernet with fine tannins; expect it to start showing beautifully in late 2025 once bottle shock fades.
Peak Drinking:
2027–2033, when the oak, fruit, and minerality fully harmonize.
Hold Potential:
The vibrant acidity and structure will allow it to age gracefully through 2038.
My Call:
⏳ Drink window (post-bottle shock): 2025–2038 (peak 2027–2033)
🧑‍🤝‍🧑🍷 Wine Berserkers Guess: Emmitt-Scorsone