2019 Ty Caton Cabernet Sauvignon Winemaker's Cuvee Caton Vineyard Moon Mountain District Sonoma 750 ml

Rugged, sun-drenched, and perilously steep, the vineyards of the Mayacamas Mountains have produced some of the most legendary wines in California's history, with bottles that are as stunning as the terrain itself. And Ty Caton has captured all that power and dynamism in his estate-grown 2019 Winemaker's Cuvée.

On the west side of Mt. Veeder, Caton’s vines sit on undulating terrain at a variety of altitudes and exposures—some on majestic slopes pitched at up to 40 degrees. Golden sunlight on the hills. Rocks that jut out like ancient monuments. It’s a sight to behold.

One look at the vineyard’s precipitous hillsides and you might wonder how, exactly, they were planted. But one sip of this 2019 and you’ll have no question why. Dark, rich, and chewy, every sip shows exactly why high-elevation mountain fruit is so coveted—especially from a phenomenal vintage like 2019. 

Ty Caton told us his family cellars are built on the footprint of that rare “speakeasy” winery that thrived during Prohibition, thanks to the authorities who looked the other way and even patronized Carl Bergfried’s little property on Moon Mountain. That same mystique lives on today in the 2019 Ty Caton Cabernet Sauvignon Winemaker's Cuvée. Caton began replanting these hillsides in 2000, and in 2019, his Cabernet vines were in their prime.

Ty farms his vineyard sustainably and crafts the wines himself, making this a true family winery and passion project. His 2019 comprises 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Syrah, and 9% Merlot, raised for 19 months in 60% new French oak. Ty’s grapes are coveted. He grows fruit for some very well-known names, but holds back some of the best for his own wines.