2016 Brandlin Vineyards Henry's Keep

Brandlin Vineyards is a Mount Veeder estate with a history that tracks back to the late 19th century, when the Brandlin family settled on the estate’s rocky slopes and began growing grapes. Several generations of Brandlins continued as vineyard owners and grape growers until 1998, when the family sold the estate to Cuvaison Estate Wines. The 170-acre site is divided into 15 blocks, most of them planted to Bordeaux varieties. There is also a 10-acre block of Zinfandel. Steven Rogstad is winemaker. Brandlin makes Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux blends and Zinfandel.

Mount Veeder AVA was established in 1993, though its origins as a wine producing district date to the 19th century. A German Presbyterian pastor named Peter Veeder was one of the first landowners in the area, and by 1864 one of his neighbors, a German sea captain named Stelham Wing, was producing wine commercially. The area continued to attract German agricultural entrepreneurs, some of whom established the estate that would later become the Christian Brothers Mont La Salle winery. Today the AVA includes about 1,000 acres of vineyards, most of them at relatively high altitudes. The Mayacamas vineyard, for instance, is at 2,400 feet. Cabernet Sauvignon is the most frequently planted grape, followed by Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.