Cornell Cabernet Offer
Made by Francoise Peschon (SF Chronicle 2019 Winemaker of the Year), farmed by Phil Coturri.
97 AG, 97 JS, 95 JR, and highest-rated '16 Sonoma Cabernet by Galloni.
The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon shows just how far the estate has progressed in just the last few years. Powerful and explosive, with tremendous aromatic intensity, the 2016 is a rapturously beautiful wine. Dark cherry, mocha, bittersweet chocolate, new leather, spice, sage, and lavender add layers of understated nuance and complexity in this riveting, stunningly dramatic mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2016 shuts down quickly after opening, which is probably a very good thing for its aging prospects. The 2016 is an extraordinary and deeply moving wine from Cornell.
97 Antonio Galloni
The tightness and linear nature of this balanced and beautiful wine are so attractive. Bright and dense with lots of cabernet focus. Love the tannin and fruit balance. Drink after 2022, but already a beauty.
97 James Suckling
To call them more feminine might be risky, but the great Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignons have a velvetiness that’s so hedonistic you feel as though someone just wrapped you in a cashmere blanket. Cornell, a breathtaking property in the Mayacamas Mountains, is owned by ex-Goldman Sachs executive Henry Cornell who spent years patching
together pieces of virgin land in the mountains. The classically structured wines are overseen by Françoise Peschon (also Accendo) and they flow with slow mesmerizing savory, earthy and red fruit flavors. Drinking Window 2020 - 2035
95 Karen MacNeil, Decanter
Winemaker - Francoise Peschon
2019 SF Chronicle Winemaker of the Year
Haut Brion, Vine Hill Ranch, Araujo, Accendo
85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot, 5% Malbec, 2% Cabernet Franc
Elevage: 20 months in 50% new French oak
735 cases produced
A STRIKING HILLSIDE PROPERTY, Cornell is located on the Sonoma side of Spring Mountain, not too far from Togni, Pride and Fisher… In 2013, proprietors Henry and Vanessa Cornell hired consulting winemaker Françoise Peschon to oversee a complete makeover. Peschon brought in vineyard guru Phil Coturri, who created the plan to redevelop the property and convert the estate to organic farming. Today, all farming is done in house, which is the kind of investment one only sees in properties with very high aspirations… The wines are done in the contemporary, classically leaning style that has brought Françoise Peschon so much acclaim at Araujo Estate and, more recently, at Vine Hill Ranch. Quite simply, these are gorgeous mountain Cabernets endowed with real class and pedigree.
Galloni
The level of explosive improvement here, in just the last few vintages, is one of the greatest success stories in Northern California.
Galloni