My partner in SommSelect, Brandon Carneiro, got a Ram pickup truck precisely for the kind of visit we made recently to the Gloeckner-Turner Ranch, a mountain vineyard from which Matthew Weese sources the fruit for this wine. Brandon put the truck into four-wheel-drive and we rumbled slowly over the dirt path that ran alongside the vineyard, which seemed to look down on the entirety of West Sonoma County.
This is as lofty a vineyard perch as you’re likely to see in California, and, with only a few circling hawks as company, we sat on the tailgate of the truck and tasted Matt’s 2011 Weese Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon. Some 1,000 feet below was Lake Sonoma and the Dry Creek Valley spread out to the southeast; about 15 miles west, over a ridge that was shielding it from view, was the Pacific Ocean. This is the heart of the Rockpile A.V.A., one of California’s most recent, and remote, additions to the appellation map. And talk about context: not only was the wine’s power and structure clearly explained by what lay in front of us, our appreciation for it deepened as we considered the effort that went into making it. And since only about 400 cases are made each vintage, this is one of the very few places you’ll find it—an artisan Cabernet made with passion by a true “family” winery. If you’re a fan of mountain-grown California Cabs (and it’s kind of hard not to be), Weese is a new name to know. In terms of price-to-quality this has few rivals. It treads a fine line between the Old and New World and will appeal to those of you who love great Bordeaux.
Weese’s 2011 Rockpile Cabernet impressed us most, in fact, with its balance. While there’s no mistaking that this is serious California Cabernet, the tannic structure and underlying minerality could sway some toward Left Bank Bordeaux. In the glass it is an opaque ruby-black with some hints of purple at the rim, its nose leading with darker fruit notes of mulberry, blackberry, black currant, and cassis layered with violets and other floral notes. The palate is viscous and rich but not sweet, nor ‘hot’; here the acid keeps the alcohol in check. The savory, iron-shaving tannins may remind you of old-school mountain wines like Dunn, and, as with the acidity, the tannins keep the wine buttoned-up and tailored rather than diffuse and syrupy. As I write this, Northern California is being buffeted with high winds and torrential rains of Biblical proportions; as such, I’m content to fortify myself with a few glasses of Weese and something similarly bold to eat with it. Give this wine a good hour or so in a decanter before serving it at 60-65 degrees. Since you’re not paying a “cult wine” premium here, save your ducats for a dry-aged ribeye or some other bespoke cut of beef. Go big, stay warm, and enjoy!