A Bottle of Mountain Cuvée

Mountain Cuvée

Sonoma County

A Bordeaux-inspired blend for everyday life that’s soft, lush and smooth but never sweet. Dangerously easy-drinking, this Merlot and Cabernet-based red wine offers balance, food-friendly structure and approachability. It’s crafted for everyday enjoyment in Sonoma Valley.

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Philosophy

Mountain Cuvée honors the style and balance of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grown in Sonoma County and pays homage to Bordeaux blends from France. We source vineyards from quality vineyards up against the Mayacamas Mountain range to create balance in the wine, fruit, tannin and acid, choosing plots that exhibit the style we seek. For Merlot, we want grapes that ripen well and have an expressive personality and consistency. Then we find Cabernet Sauvignon which provides a darkness to the wine – we source some of the fruit from Rhinefarm. Primarily, we use only two growers within 2 miles of our estate to create the Cuvée, or blend, controlling how the vineyard is farmed. This method allows us to get to know the vineyard and find the best way to approach it. During the winemaking process, we blend vineyard blocks together, evaluate and then create an oak program to place the finishing touches on the wine. We call this managing the wine from dirt to bottle.

Top-rated scores over the past vintages:

• 2020, 90 Points Wine Enthusiast

• 2019, 93 Points Jeb Dunnuck

Vineyards

The grapes for Mountain Cuvée are sourced from our Rhinefarm estate as well as fruit selected from prestigious vineyards along the Mayacamas Mountain range. On Rhinefarm, the Cabernet Sauvignon vines are planted on the steep, southwestern slopes, ranging from 150 to 300 feet in elevation and eight miles north of the San Pablo Bay. Our Merlot vineyards are located in three different areas on Rhinefarm. One 36-acre hillside section of the estate includes plantings from 1976 and has a soil profile of shallow Rhyolitic volcanic ash, typical of the alluvial fans that comprise the lower Mayacamas Range. With its southwest facing slopes, the site receives optimum sunlight and temperatures.

We harvest each lot separately based on the flavor profile the winemaking team strives for. Tannin structure is achieved through a three to five day cold soak and by using pump overs. This wine sees an average of 14 months in oak, primarily French.

 

 

Pairing Riffs

At Gundlach Bundschu, we make great wine but also like to have fun. We recommend enjoying our Sonoma Mountain Cuvée in many ways:

  • Weeknights
  • On a hike (hey, the name fits)
  • With Mom’s spaghetti and meatballs
  • A picnic in the park on a foggy day
  • Dinner with the in-laws
  • Really, anything. It’s a crowd-pleaser.

specifications

Vintage:
2018
Wine Type:
Red Wine
Varietal:
Mountain Cuvée
Varietal Composition:
  • 77% Merlot
  • 13% Cabernet Sauvignon
  • 4% Petit Verdot
  • 3% Malbec
  • 3% Cabernet Franc
Appellation:
Sonoma Valley
Acid:
TA: 0.60 g/100ml
PH:
3.4
Barrel Aging:
  • 10 months French Oak, 20% New
Alcohol %:
14.2%