Chad Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma 2022

2022 was a miracle vintage in a lot of ways. First off, after a very small 2021 vintage, 2022 was much bigger l – meaning there was a little more fruit to go around. Second – the weather in 2022 in Sonoma made Cabernet much more akin to its more inland twin: Napa Valley.

There was ample rainfall over the winter after a three-year drought, finally giving the vines a well-needed reprieve which was then followed by an almost perfectly mild but sunny summer. The surprise came with a September heat wave – which was a problem in Napa, but in cooler Sonoma the vines flourished, putting out some of the most intensely flavored Cabernet Sauvignon in years (decades?!?).

Now here’s the exciting part. Who had his pulse on exactly what was going on? You guessed it. Chad!

It’s been a dog’s age since Chad called me as excited as he was to return to sourcing Cabernet from prime California spots. It’s been a minute. He had a hot tip – based on a tight familial connection to some abandoned grapes from one of the most sought-after Cabernet spots in all of California.