One of our enduring, and often frustrating, missions here at SommSelect is to find those rare bottles of California Cabernet that deliver velvety, full-throttled pleasure with wallet-friendly price tags. They don’t come around often, but when they do, they’re uncorked by the handful with unrestrained delight. Enter Harper Oak, about as perfect a reminder as we could ask for.

Laden with brambly purple/blue fruits, voluptuously soft and polished in texture, and singing with classic savor, it’s an unblushing showpiece of Cabernet Sauvignon deliciousness. That should come as no surprise once you learn the following: This cuvée hails from Sonoma County’s Alexander Valley—a stone’s throw from steakhouse staples Silver Oak and Jordan—and it’s crafted by the original winemaking team of Duckhorn Vineyards. Who would’ve thought that much pedigree could be associated with a $32 wine?! Make this your daily drinker and you’ll look like a savant. Don’t hesitate to go deep!

For collectible and age-worthy California Cabernet, my predilection obviously leans toward Napa Valley bottles. But for pure weeknight pleasure? Give me Alexander Valley. Located in Sonoma County about 40 miles north of Napa, the Alexander Valley is more inland with less marine influence. This means less overt tannic structure thanks to a slightly warmer climate and a fruit profile that, while still in the blue/black/purple spectrum, is more boisterous, juicy, and inviting. Certainly some great bottles from here can age, but the short and medium term is where these wines really excel. Alexander Valley is also a welcome home to Zinfandel, and there’s something of Zin’s cornucopia-of-fruit styling and drink-me-up softness to Harper Oak.

rn

The vineyards selected for the Harper Oak blend sit on a bench overlooking the Russian River. Planted in sand and clay soils, the Cabernet here ripens during the warm, dry days before being cooled by nighttime breezes off the Petaluma Wind Gap. The resulting wines bristle with warmth and texture but retain enough acidity to keep their bigger frames in check. Cab Sauv makes up 90% of Harper Oak’s final blend with 5% Merlot and tiny splashes of Cabernet Franc and Malbec. It’s aged for just under a year in French barrels, 10% new, adding just a dollop of oak spice. There’s a palpable sense of craft here that we frankly don’t see very often in Cab bottlings this affordable, especially as prices for the category seem to exponentially rise. Above all, this is delicious Cabernet for near-and-medium-term drinking, a category that’s sadly shrinking as it seems so many producers have chosen to chase accolades over pleasure.

rn

The 2021 Harper Oak pours a deep, opaque purple with hints of ruby. It rumbles forth from the glass with waves of huckleberry, blue plum, blackberry jam, black cherry, mission fig, candied plum, cedar, dark chocolate, and toasted oak. The palate is lush and caressing, leaning into dark purple fruits before juicy acidity comes through to keep things refreshing. Is this Cabernet to stand with the best of the Left Bank? No, and that’s perfectly fine. But I can’t think of many other Cabs I’d be so happy to open during a simple, weeknight meal with friends or family, and that’s something I’ll be doing for many years to come.