2014 Watkins Family Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Bugay Vineyard Sonoma County 750 ml

No winery—and we mean NONE—hits the bullseye with our members more consistently than Watkins.

Every single Cabernet we’ve offered from Randall Watkins has been a straightaway sellout. That’s in part because we’re the only retailer with the keys to the cellar—and because that cool space contains some of the most perfectly aged and exquisite under-the-radar Cabs in Northern California. Watkins’s wines are built to age, and his 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Bugay Vineyard is just hitting its stride.

We’ve been buying from and supporting this small, family-owned Sonoma operation since they were making just two barrels each of Zinfandel and Chardonnay, and fermenting lots in makeshift containers because stainless-steel tanks were too expensive. Today, Watkins mailing list members regularly buy up the winery’s entire production because the wines are held close to the hearts of countless mountain-Cab collectors. 

Watkins specializes in mountain wines, specifically those from the rock-strewn slopes of the Mayacamas. He focuses on sites with enough warmth and sun exposure to ripen late into the growing season, along with well-draining soils that stress the vines and lead to small, thick-skinned, ultra-concentrated berries.

This small-production release off the Bugay Vineyard shows the genius of his approach, and why his wines are massively popular with those who prefer high-altitude Cabs. Watkins sources from a vineyard block that sits above the frosts and fog, protected from damaging conditions and perfectly situated to absorb sunlight. Cooled by marine air, the grapes mature slowly and evenly, maintaining acidity as they achieve optimal sugar and phenolic ripeness.

Precious little fruit comes off this block in general, making this wine extra exclusive. It’s a rare single-vineyard Cabernet from an excellent vintage, and at an unbelievable price.