The precious 3-acre parcel that gave birth to Laurel Glen Vineyard was first planted by German immigrants back in 1880. At the time, the vines were of several varieties, all red. In 1968, the vineyard was replanted entirely with Cabernet Sauvignon by Carmen Taylor. It would be her planting that had a lasting impact on the wines of today -- one particular vine was selected as the parent for the officially certified Laurel Glen Cabernet Sauvignon Clone. The story continues with Patrick Campbell, who rediscovered the plot atop Sonoma Mountain in 1974 and set to work expanding the vineyard to its current size of 16 acres. Campbell produced the first vintage of Laurel Glen Cabernet Sauvignon in 1981, and 5 years later came out with the vineyard's second release, Counterpoint. The flagship Cabernets are powerful yet elegant wines characterized by brier-y mountain berry aromas complicated by minerals, flowers and dark chocolate. These are wines that repay extended cellaring, developing great complexity with bottle age. The Counterpoint, made chiefly from lots that miss the cut for the flagship bottling, is dependably a terrific value, and unlike the primary Cabernet, especially enjoyable when young. In 2011, with 30 vintages under his belt, Campbell decided to sell the vineyard to a group led by Bettina Sichel, formerly sales director at Quintessa winery. A new team, including David Ramey, and winemaker Randall Watkins now runs the show, although Campbell remains as a consultant. Sichel aims to revitalize the winery, which has come up short in recent vintages.