Watkins Family Cabernet Sauvignon Bugay Vineyard 2010 | Exclusive Sonoma Mountain Find
Watkins Family Cabernet Sauvignon Bugay Vineyard 2010 pours layers of deep ruby in the core to a slight garnet decorate the glass. While the nose is intriguing and full of stories. Yet, led by steeped violets and dried roses, leather-bound, and sprinkled with pepper and spice. The mouthfeel is equally delicious, bringing layers of plum, cherry, hoisin, and spice. Juicy and full of character from start to finish, with a satisfying mineral-rich layer. An incredible snapshot of a balanced and structured 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon, aged perfectly. Randall Watkins delivers another gem. Drink now – 2024.
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The Watkins Family Cabernet Sauvignon Bugay Vineyard 2013 is an extremely rare library release. Absolutely fabulous. The word is ‘balance.’ Aroma, bouquet, taste, color, tannins, richness all in perfect balance. One of my finest tastings of the year. My dinner grouping could not believe it was not $100/bottle.”
Bugay Vineyard
Of course, the small-production release off the Bugay Vineyard shows the genius of Winemaker Randall Watkins’ approach. And why his wines are vanishingly popular with those who prefer high-altitude expressions. While the site, which sits some 1,400 feet up on a Mayacamas ridge, has produced stunning Cabernets for Arnot-Roberts.
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So, Watkins sources from the rockiest block of Bugay, which sits above frosts and fog, protected from damaging conditions and perfectly situated to absorb sunlight. Caressed and cooled by marine air, grapes mature slowly and evenly, maintaining the acidity bolstered by the complex volcanic rock soils interspersed with ash.
Precious little fruit comes off this block in general, making this wine doubly rare. Throw in the $30 price for a single-vineyard library Cabernet, and you’re looking at a deal that is as rarified as Watkins Family Cabernet Sauvignon Bugay Vineyard 2012.
Winemaker Randall Watkins & Watkins Family Winery
We are a small family-owned winery in Sonoma County specializing in limited production wines from hillside vineyards. All of our wines are rich and intensely flavored, reflecting both their origin in the vineyard and the balance and elegance of small-lot winemaking.
Watkins consults for top wineries like Laurel Glen, but his heart is in the family business, which started in 1979. He specializes in mountain wines, specifically those off the hardscrabble, rock-strewn slopes of the Mayacamas. He focuses on sites with the warmth and sun exposure to ripen late into the growing season, and rocky volcanic soils that are well-draining, stressing the vines and leading to small, thick-skinned, ultra-concentrated berries.
