When people like us talk about “old school” California Cabernets of the ’70s and ’80s, we’re talking generally about wines of a smaller scale than the blockbusters that have since risen to dominance. That’s not (necessarily) meant as a knock on “big” wines, but the aim of today’s wine is to evoke the classics—namely, by stressing perfume over power, elegance over extract.
John Lockwood of Enfield Wine Co. applies that maxim to everything he makes, which includes a laser-focused Chardonnay, some properly spicy and savory Syrah, and this somewhat atypical but undeniably delicious “cool climate” Cabernet Sauvignon. Lockwood, who was named a “Winemaker to Watch” by the San Francisco Chronicle, self-identifies as a vineyard guy first; he loves the farming of wine more than the ‘making,’ but he’s got a deft and sure hand in the cellar. His wines are naturally made and varietally precise, which he’d likely say is a product of conscientious farming of the right grapes in the right places. So what to make of a Cabernet Sauvignon grown in the Pinot Noir-saturated wilds of the west Sonoma Coast? It may not ‘seem’ right, or look right—he even packages it in a Burgundy bottle, either to sow discord or tip his stylistic hand (or both)—but the results are all sorts of right. This is a Bordeaux-lover’s California Cabernet, with a nod to Burgundy thrown in. We picked up the last little bit of the 2014 that was available—not that there was much to begin with—and can offer up to six bottles per person today until our stock disappears. Given all the press this wine has received, I’m surprised there’s any left at all!
Since founding Enfield Wine Co. in 2010 (“Enfield” is his middle name), Lockwood has enjoyed his share of critical acclaim. He’s part of a young generation of bootstrapping wine impresarios whose passion for what they do is contagious—and strong enough that it is often an endeavor that must be supported by a concurrent “day job” that pays actual money. Lockwood, upon moving to California from the East Coast, apprenticed with a master guitar-maker in Oakland before landing a job at the Heron Lake Vineyard, a high-elevation site in the Wild Horse Valley AVA (and from which he now sources fruit for a Chardonnay bottling). He later apprenticed under Pinot Noir master Ted Lemon at Littorai and then worked for five years with Ehren Jordan, helping manage Failla’s Sonoma Coast and Russian River Valley estate vineyards. Like so many of his young peers, he started Enfield as a ‘side project,’ though more recently he’s been able to focus on it full time.
It’s impossible not to appreciate the lengths to which people like Lockwood go to make wine. It all starts with carefully cultivated relationships with grape growers, who are often scattered across multiple appellations, with the wines typically crafted in relatively unromantic, warehouse-type surroundings. This is not the ‘homesteader,’ or ‘estate,’ model. This is the starving artist model. And Lockwood makes some very appealing art.
The majority of Lockwood’s lineup is labeled with a vineyard designation; today’s Cabernet is sourced from a unique site called “Jesus & Patricia’s Vineyard,” in the Fort Ross-Seaview section of the west Sonoma Coast. Situated mere miles from the Pacific and covering just two acres, the organically farmed site was “co-planted” in 1999 to a mixture of Cabernet Sauvignon (80%), Merlot (10%), Cabernet Franc (7.5%), and Petit Verdot (2.5%). Soils are a mix of clay-loam and volcanic material and the wine’s blend reflects the mix of grapes in the vineyard, à la Bordeaux. Lockwood fermented the grapes in open-topped vessels and incorporated a percentage of whole grape clusters to lend nerve and cut; the wine then aged for about a year in mostly used French oak barrels.
So how does Cabernet Sauvignon express itself in one of California’s premier Pinot Noir growing zones (Hirsch Vineyards is practically across the street)? Quite elegantly and aromatically, as it turns out. With so many Cabernet monoliths out there, it’s easy to forget that Cabernet Sauvignon can be (a) very exotically perfumed and (b) deeply mineral as well as darkly fruited. In the glass, Enfield’s 2014 is a deep, reflective ruby extending to the rim, with bright aromas of blackberry, cassis, and black currant melding with more-savory notes of pencil shavings, tobacco, and leather. Medium-bodied (by today’s Cabernet standards) and loaded with energy, this is just pure joy to drink, with a distinctive ‘cigar box’ note that’ll make old-fashioned Bordeaux lovers swoon. If enjoying a bottle now, decant it about 45 minutes before serving in large Bordeaux stems (he may want you to go with Burgundy, but c’mon…) at 60-65 degrees. If you’re inclined to lay a few bottles down, have no fear—it’s acidity and balance that give a wine long life, not tannin and extract, and this wine has 5-10 more years of graceful evolution ahead of it. Pair it with a simple (but decadent) recipe from legendary California chef Jeremiah Tower: ‘new’ California meets old (no offense, Mr. Tower) to delicious effect!
