Windstorm Cabernet Sauvignon 2023

Region: Red Hills, Lake County, California

Grape Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon

fresh red cherries, and blueberries, orange marmalade, sassafras and bay leaf

The Windstorm wines are created by Trevor Sheehan, whose family was deeply involved in the film industry in Hollywood. While finishing his masters degree in accounting he had a chance meeting with Jay Leno, who commented, “Ah accounting! The fast cars, the thrills, the travel to exotic locations.” This started him thinking about his career choice and within a couple of years he pivoted to wine. Ten years ago he launched the Precision Wine Company, which produces a bunch of wine under various labels. For Windstorm both of these wines are appellation specific, which is very uncommon for $15 wines.

For the Cabernet Sauvignon Trevor sources from vineyards from the Red Hills of Lake County, north of Napa. This area is famous for the iron rich soils created by the lava flows from Mount Konocti, a dormant volcano that dominates the background of the region. This area is also much higher elevation than Napa, which allows the grapes to ripen with hot days but cool nights, retaining good freshness. Sheehan ages the wine for 10 months in 40% new French oak barrels, adding even more dimension. For this wine the nose is a rich combination of fresh red cherries, and blueberries, orange marmalade, sassafras and bay leaf. On the palate it is rich and lush, with basically dry, surprising sense of oak and tannins that show this is a much more serious wine than the price would indicate. Drink 2024 to 2026 with grilled skirt steak or pork tenderloin.