Team C&J
The 2014 Copland Vineyard “Resonate” Cabernet Sauvignon gives wine lovers a good reason to look beyond Napa Valley when searching for a quality California Cabernet. When you take into account that this bottle from Sonoma’s Carneros region is priced at $52 a bottle and delivers all of the quality of a $100+ bottle from Napa, the choice is easy.
The blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon and 23% Merlot is perfectly balanced and will appeal to lovers of California Cabernet who need a break from the larger-than-life Napa Valley palate.
Coplan Vineyards and Coplandia are owned by former tech attorney Carole Copland. Carole left her life in San Francisco behind when, in the early 2010s, she got the bug to move her life away from the hustle and bustle of the city and put roots down in the serenity of Sonoma.
Carole wanted her new home to be more than just a vineyard. The property is also a working farm that grows seasonal kale, artichokes, onions, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, melons, and corn.
If you dream of staying in Sonoma wine country at an actual working vineyard, then look no further than Coplan’s modern farmhouse. These luxurious accommodations include four bedrooms, five bathrooms, a lap pool, a chef’s kitchen, an office, and a relaxing patio.
Check out this vineyard listing at Vrbo.
Copland Vineyard’s winemaker, Jacqueline Yoakum, comes to Copland with an impressive resume. Jacqueline has a Master’s Degree in Viticulture and Enology from the premiere viticulture program at UC Davis, and in addition to making wine for Coplan, she also consults for Magnus Wines.
Yoakum consults for a variety of other local wine brands in Sonoma County, including Ted Lemon’s esteemed Littorai, where she was the Associate Winemaker, Schramsberg, Stag’s Leap, Joseph Phelps, and Cakebread Cellars.
No matter who she is crafting wines for, Jacqueline Yoakum is known for coaxing balance and elegance from her wines.
The Sonoma Valley AVA is one of California’s oldest appellations. Founded in 1981, this AVA sits in the southernmost point of Sonoma County and is bordered to the east by the Mayacamas Mountains and to the west by the Sonoma Mountains. The climate here is cooler than Napa Valley and Dry Creek Valley and warmer than coastal Sonoma.
Prior to Prohibition totally destroying the wine industry, Sonoma Valley had a thriving wine community of 256 wineries, with over 20,000 acres planted for grapes. It took over 70 years for this wine region to bounce back from the devastating gutting it experienced during the ill-thought-out debacle that was Prohibition. But, by 2005, Sonoma Valley was once more home to over 250 wineries.
Sub-regions of the Sonoma Valley AVA include:
Because land is less expensive than in Toney Napa Valley, growers, and winery owners have more flexibility in the varieties of grapes they plant. While varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, like this in this bottle from Copland, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, and Zinfandel do well here, you will also find interesting expressions of Trousseau, Alicante Bouschet, Barbera, Carignane, Syrah, Riesling, Grenache, and Nebbiolo.
The Cabernet Sauvignon vines at Carneros’ Coplan Vineyards are over 80 years old, making them some of the oldest in Sonoma County. The grapes for the 2014 Coplan “Resonate” Cabernet Sauvignon were picked early during the harvest season to preserve acidity, and the result is a balanced wine with a beautiful palate.
In the glass, the wine is a deep garnet. The first swirl reveals a bouquet of black pepper with generous layers of boysenberry, cigar box, and earth. The palate on this Sonoma Cabernet really grabs you, and unlike some of its neighbors to the east in Napa Valley, the fruit isn’t overly lush and swimming in oak.
We enjoyed pronounced notes of black cherry and blackberry, sharp bell pepper, spices like black pepper, licorice, and cigar box, and a pleasant riff of leather. The finish was long and elegant.
We were really impressed with this Cabernet Sauvignon from Copland and the ability of winemaker Jacqueline Yoakum to produce such finesse from those heritage Cabernet vines. For a high-caliber, organically produced California Cabernet that’s just above $50 per bottle, you can’t go wrong here.
USA
Sonoma Valley
Cabernet Sauvignon
14.8
Jacqueline Yoakum
62–68°F / 16–20°C
Burgundy
2 Hours
Drink now to 2034
Coplan Vineyards
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