2018 Bevan Cellars Sage Ridge Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Bevan Cellars is a boutique winery in Santa Rosa, California, which uses grapes from vineyards in Oakville's Bennett Valley. The winery is owned by Russell Bevan and Victoria De Crescenzo, who met in Des Moines, moved to Minneapolis and eventually decided to give up their jobs in the dental industry to return to Napa Valley, where Russell had grown up. The couple started with a few grapevines planted in their front yard and now contract for grapes in the choice Showket Vineyard of Oakville and the Dry Stack Vineyard in Bennett Valley, in northern Sonoma Valley. Their first vintage was 2004. Bevan Cellar’s signature wines are the Cabernet Sauvignons, though they have also produced Syrah, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc. Robert M. Parker has been highly complimentary: “A small artisanal operation in Santa Rosa…Bevan Cellars has assembled a stunning line-up of wines….I can’t recommend this up-and-coming producer’s wines highly enough.”

St. Helena AVA is at the northern end of Napa Valley just north of Rutherford and south of Calistoga. It is a relatively warm climate thanks to the Mayacamas Mountains on its western edge, which protect it from Pacific Ocean fog. Out of the 9,000 acres in the appellation, some 1,500 are under vine. The principal grapes grown in St. Helena are the Bordeaux grapes of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. St. Helena is considered prime wine producing territory, and it was one of the first important wine producing regions in northern California. The legendary Charles Krug founded his winery just north of the town of St. Helena in 1873, and today the appellation is home to many prestigious producers, including Abreu, Grace Family and Spottswoode.

One of the most widely grown grape varieties, it can be found in nearly every wine growing region. A cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a hardy vine that produces a full-bodied wine with high tannins and great aging potential.