1991 Calafia Konrad Vineyard Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Calafia was founded by Randle Johnson with his wife Mary Lee. Johnson worked in winemaking for Souverain Winery in the 1970s and later became vineyard manager and cellar master at Mayacamas Vineyards. He was also winemaker at Stags’ Leap, as well as special projects manager for the Hess Collection. Calafia’s wines are made from estate vineyards sometimes blended with small amounts of sourced grapes. Calafia produces Cabernet Sauvignon blends, Verdelho and rosé. Though the estate has been in business since 1979, it produces only 500 cases a year, with the wine going mostly to Calafia club members.

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.

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.