William Knuttel produces wines with intensity and finesse, which he achieves through meticulous fruit selection and skilled winemaking. As the former VP and winemaker at Chalk Hill, he has relationships with some of Sonoma County’s most heralded growers. As a veteran winemaker, he allows each featured site to shine brightly under his namesake label. At just $40, his 2014 Windsor Oaks Vineyard Cabernet is deep, firm, and well-defined, showing off his learned skills as a top winemaker.

 

Knuttle’s 2014 Windsor Oak Vineyard Cabernet is sourced from a single block of vines overlooking the Russian River Valley to the West and the Alexander Valley and the Mayacamas Mountains to the East. He’s scrupulous in his selection of only the ripest and most flavorful berries for his single-vineyard bottling, and he vinifies them separately. 

 

The hillside vineyard is quintessentially Chalk Hill and planted over well-drained, gravelly, clay-loam soils with open exposure to brisk Russian River Valley breezes that allow the Cabernet to maintain balanced acidity and fine structure. He produced just 8 barrels of this wine, and after more than 4 years in the bottle, the wine is stunning.

 

Retails at: $45