atLarge Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Hills (Lake County), Beckstoffer Amber Knolls Vineyard, 2022

I came to wine by drinking Califronia cabernet sauvignon in 1999. It was paired with brisket, ribs, pulled pork , and barbecued chicken. I was hooked. I had never tasted anything like that pairing. The majority of my family doesn’t drink, so going from margaritas to wine was an instant love. (I still love a good margarita and an ice cold martiini).

But it’s been a long time since I actually tasted a Cabernet Sauvignon from California that moved me. The kind of movement where I was staring at the glass. I really haven’t been drinking big red wines. Not because they are bad or don’t taste good, but I don’t like how I feel when I have them, especially if I don’t have them with a lot of food; meat, something savory, rich, and can absorb the alcohol. This means I have to drink them earlier in the evening where my body can process the alcohol before heading to bed.

A lot of the California Cabernet Sauvignons I have tasted in the last year were so similar to me and rather boring, I found myself drinking my old stash to find something interesting. Yes, the wines are structured beautifully, they taste amazing, but they kind of all started tasting the same. A one note so to speak. Dare I say it, but many California white wines have replaced their reds in my wine life.

Then I tasted atLarge Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Hills (Lake County), Beckstoffer Amber Knolls Vineyard 2022. I was thrilled by this wine. It was absolutely delicious; not too jammy, wasn’t too oaky, and balanced on so many levels. I needed to taste this kind of balance, structure, and texture from a Cabernet Sauvignon without feeling like I’ve been hit over the head with alcohol and fruit. Everything about this wine was exceptional.

I know there are many parts of California wine country I have yet to explore. California is one of the biggest wine regions and I don’t get to taste enough of their range. So, atLarge is different. In a good way. It made me think about California cabernet sauvignon that hadn’t been on my radar in quite some time. And it got me excited about wines coming out of Red Hills of Lake County.

It got me excited for an area I really didn’t know about. An area I want to know more about. I truly need to visit. I need to place my feet on the soil and take it all in. The wine had many components; structurally and aesthetically pleasing on the palate. atLarge is one of those wines you want to sit with. I wouldn’t call it a simple wine. No, it’s more nuanced than that, but I was shocked. It had range in a way I wasn’t expecting; pleasantly surprised. And with that also came the price point.

A beautiful California cabernet sauvignon under a hundred dollars.

The first place most people think about cabernet sauvignon is Napa Valley. This is the kind of wine you pour for someone and let them discover it. Let them experience it without telling the provenance. I would go as far and decant it for them to taste. No labels and no judgment.

Can you lay this wine down for more years to age? Absolutely. I used my trusty Coravin to first taste the wine and a few weeks later opened it fully. This is California cabernet sauvignon. It’s a wine that makes you believe in California cabernet sauvignon again and not just the popular places. It made me want to know more. I think Red Hills of Lake County wines will pique a lot of people’s curiosity. That is my hope. I shall continue down the rabbit hole of Red Hills of Lake County and I’ll let you know how it goes

Because what I do know is I need a little more of this in my life. I think this wine is beautiful. I think this wine has everything I’m looking for and a lot of consumers like me who want a cabernet sauvignon they can drink all night long.