2015 William Knuttel Cabernet Sauvignon Windsor Oaks Vineyards Chalk Hill Sonoma County 750 ml

The #1 reason to stockpile the 2015 William Knuttel Windsor Oaks Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, and drink it often from now until 2025, can be summed up in a single sentence: This is 30-year California winemaking veteran Bill Knuttel’s Best Cabernet Sauvignon yet. 

But for those of you who enjoy reading, our allocation does come with a story:

The bean counters were closing the books and had taken over our tasting space, so we walked over to Oxbow to taste through 50 or so Cabernets alongside Five Dot Ranch steaks. We commandeered some glassware from our friends at Hog Island and hijacked the marketplace’s prime corner booth, but only got to wine #5—today’s 2015 William Knuttel Windsor Oaks Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. 

With its seamless balance, purity, and mineral drive, the Windsor Oaks reminds us of warm vintage Bordeaux or a ‘70s-era Napa Cab. Aromas of black cherry and spiced tea lead into a beautiful integration of dried black fruits on the palate, intertwined with leather, cigar tobacco, and mint. 

Nestled in the northeast corner of the Russian River Valley AVA, Chalk Hill has cooler tendencies that neighboring Napa Valley, so we keep an eye on the area in warm, dry vintages like 2015. That's when a Bordelaise confluence of conditions—steady warmth, plenty of sunshine, and dramatic diurnal temperature shifts—can yield Cabernets that rival the best in the world. 

The impressive length, fine tannins, and mineral finish on Knuttel’s 2015 are textbook Chalk Hill, making this a cerebral, balanced Cabernet that will inspire on the table today, or after extended cellaring.

In fact, it was so inspiring that our steaks went cold as we debated the nuances of the blend and aging regimen. There was only one thing to do: Call up the man himself, and find out the details.

After we congratulated Bill on this tremendous wine, he told us he could hardly believe that he harvested this Cabernet Sauvignon during the second week of September. From the cool stretches of Chalk Hill, ridiculously low yields in 2015 meant that the fruit ripened extremely early. “For my money, however,” he shared with us on the phone, “that only amplified the Bordeaux character of the wine, and enhanced its complexity, giving it an almost Pinot-like nuance, though the full-bore Cabernet character is still immediately evident.”

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. Bill knocked it out of the park with this vintage, and we have rarely felt more fortunate to be able to share his highly allocated wine with our members for such an incredible price. After three years spent resting in bottle—following 22 months aging in 50% new French oak barrels—our price simply does not match the sophistication in this bottle.

William Knuttel’s Chalk Hill Cabernet Sauvignon has been a Wine Access member-favorite for years, but his 2015 vintage absolutely—and unanimously—ups the ante for Chalk Hill and Knuttel himself. Don’t miss out.