2013 William Knuttel Cabernet Sauvignon Windsor Oaks Vineyard Chalk Hill 750 ml

8 Barrels of “Game-Changer” Cabernet  

The 2013 William Knuttel Cabernet Sauvignon Windsor Oaks Vineyard Chalk Hill, a juicy, full-bodied wine laced with notes of cherry and tobacco, exemplifies the second act of Bill Knuttel’s storied career. While the man made his name pioneering Burgundy-style Pinot Noir in California, he now makes a diverse range of wines from Sonoma County’s top sites. In the Chalk Hill AVA, the Cabernet Sauvignon planted in the gravelly, clay-loam soils thrives in warm, dry vintages like 2013, the year Robert Parker called the North Coast’s “game-changer” and Knuttel himself has called the “vintage of the decade.” Knuttel selected Windsor Oaks’ top parcels for this bottling, which was aged for 20 months in 50 percent new French oak. Only eight barrels—less than 200 cases—were produced. Released at $40, we are offering each bottle for just $27.99—a 25% savings. Shipping included on 6.

Bill Knuttel’s knowledge of North Coast terroir is deep and wide. He made his name crafting Pinot Noir for Saintsbury in Carneros, and spent time as winemaker at Dry Creek Vineyard. But it was his tenure as winemaker and executive vice president of Chalk Hill Estate, the winery that distinguished Chalk Hill as one of Sonoma County’s top spots for Bordeaux varieties, that Knuttel first discovered the magnificent Cabernet Sauvignons of Windsor Oaks Vineyard.

Planted on well-drained hillsides that are exposed to the cooling breezes off the Russian River, revered viticulturist Douglas Lumgair re-trained the vines in the mid-1990s, giving them optimum sun exposure.

Because of the AVA’s cool tendencies, we keep an eye on Chalk Hill in the warm, dry vintages, when a Bordelaise confluence of conditions – steady warmth, plenty of sunshine, a dramatic diurnal temperature shift – can yield Cabernets that rival the best of Napa. Unsurprisingly, 2013 was equally kind to both sides of the Mayacamas, and bestowed ideal conditions upon the Chalk Hill AVA that Knuttel parlayed into a powerhouse from the slopes of Windsor Oaks.

Hand-harvested from one block of vines, fruit for the 2013 Windsor Oaks was fermented with native yeast, then the free-run juice was racked into eight French oak barrels: four new, four twice-used. That’s where they spent 20 months before being bottled in June of 2015. The finished wine is rich in fruit, with tobacco notes and fine-grained tannins. We are fortunate to have gotten what we did of the 196 cases produced, and the Wine Access clients who act fast to claim our allocation will be grateful they did.