Olema is a project of Amici Cellars in Calistoga, Calif., focused on Sonoma fruit. Tony Biagi, who also makes wine at Duckhorn and Hourglass, serves as winemaker. Fruit for this Cab derives from vineyard sites in Dry Creek and Alexander Valley, and its 97 percent Cabernet Sauvignon is supplemented with a splash of Petite Sirah. The wine aged for 16 months in French oak, about two-thirds new.
It’s substantial, ripe with blue and red fruits and framed by oaky spice. But it’s the wine’s velvety texture, not its flavor profile, that grabs me. The voluptuous, ripe tannins hit first, followed by a sluice of juicy acidity, and finally, at the finish, there’s a dusting of pencil shavings and tea.
An admirable California Cabernet at a good price. Pair it with roasts and game, rich gratins, aged sheep and cow’s milk cheeses, cured meats. It needs food with savoriness and depth.
2014 Olema Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County
14.5% | $22.50 (sample)
