Sonoma Coast Wineries: Laurel Glen Vineyards

We moved to Sonoma with one goal in mind: to become the ultimate wine hipsters. Well, two goals: to become the ultimate wine hipsters AND drink a ton of wine from the best wineries in Sonoma. And eat a lot of good food. Fine, we have a lot of goals. Enough about our goals. We’re scouring Sonoma County for the best little known, small run wineries we can find in order to achieve the greatest virtue of hipsterdom: telling you all about the really cool places we love that you've never heard of. We’re doing this for you. Trust us.

We’ve said in the past that “cult wines” aren’t our thing. That doesn’t mean we have a problem with them. Far from it. We just don’t worship at their altar. It’s the antithesis of our guiding principal as wine drinkers: constant exploration. Now that we have that bit of marginally explanatory double speak out of the way, let’s talk about Laurel Glen Vineyard.

This producer is known for it’s Cabernet Sauvignon, which has a bit of a cult following. Our earlier ramblings are starting to make a bit of sense, right? Well, once we’d done some research and learned that their tasting room was minutes from several other vineyards in Glen Ellen, we figured we should pay them a visit.

The tasting room is in a nondescript little business unit in what we suppose is downtown Glen Ellen. Don’t let that dissuade you. The wine is excellent, and well deserved of it’s cult status. They don’t just make Cabernet Sauvignon, though. They also have an incredible small lot Sauvignon Blanc. Honestly, this is the best Sauvignon Blanc we’ve ever had. And, of course, it’s only available to members of their wine club. Sneaky bastards.

Here are our notes from a few weeks ago:

2015 Blank Slate Sauvignon Blanc: Grilled pears, Swiss cheese rind, and a bit of strawberries on the nose. Golden yellow in color. Full bodied. Smooth and well rounded. Sweet orange and honey crisp apples on the tongue, with a big dose of lemon zest on the finish. Bright, fresh and refreshing.

2014 Counter Point Cabernet Sauvignon: Dark violet in color. Cinnamon and crushed ripe cherries on the nose. Maybe graham crackers too. Young, definitely needs to age a bit. The tannins are a bit in your face. Ripe cherries and hints of bakers chocolate on the tongue. Chalk and a ton of pepper on the finish. Medium body. Well balanced. Definitely something to put on the rack for a few years.

2012 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon: Deep, dark fruits on the nose. Blackberries especially. A suggestion of espresso as well. An abundance of cherries and light maple syrup on the tongue. Oak and pepper on the finish. Big tannins. Really well balanced. Drinkable now, but would probably benefit from some aging.

2012 Lot 44 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon: Cherries, black pepper & thyme on the nose. It has a creamy mouth feel. Cherries, sugar and milk chocolateon the tongue with an excellent chalkiness on the finish. Medium body. Smooth tannins. If it tastes this good today, we can only imagine how it’ll drink in 5 to 10 years. Wow. 2012 is the first vintage for their reserve offering. This will be one to watch.

Here’s the deal: their Cabs are way out of our budget, but we signed up for their wine club anyway just to get our hands on some bottles of that Sauvignon Blanc. It’s that good. Their tasting room is a can’t miss if your a fan of high end Cabs. They’re excellent and well worth the time. If you go, however, make sure to ask about the Sauvignon Blanc. We don’t know if it’s always available for tasting, but, for your sake, we hope so. It’s incredible.

The Laurel Glen Vineyards tasting room can be found in Glen Ellen, CA. You can learn more about their wine (except for the curiously absent Blank Slate) at http://www.laurelglen.com.