Ramsay Cabernet Sauvignon 2020
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Plum and tobacco offer a dramatic start to this concentrated, juicy red. Midpalate notes of black cherry and wood bark are seasoned by a dash of white pepper. The finish is supple and satisfying.
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2019-
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When the history of Napa County's winemaking is rewritten many years from now, Kent Rasmussen will certainly be included. His Pinot Noirs are some of the best in the state.
A native Californian, born in San Francisco, Kent Rasmussen spent his early years in Belmont, on San Francisco's Lower Peninsula. He later attended high school in the southern California community of Whittier, where a foreign exchange program placed him with a winemaking family in Germany. Bitten by the winemaking bug, he started producing wine at home upon return to the States.
His passion and enjoyment of this hobby led Kent to take it to the next level. He decided to pursue his longtime grape growing and winemaking bug on a professional level. He enrolled at UC Davis and earned a Bachelor of Science in Enology. After graduating he gained valuable winemaking knowledge and experience at Robert Mondavi Winery, Domaine Chandon, Stellenbosch Farmers' Winery in South Africa and Saltram's Wine Estate in Australia's Barossa Valley, before starting his own Ramsay winery in 1986.
Ramsay (named after Kent's wife Celia's maiden name) is best known for its high quality, but lower-price wines. Ramsay Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon are often poured by the glass in wine bars and restaurants.
Since its modest beginnings in a Carneros garage on Cuttings Wharf Road in 1986, the Ramsay winery has evolved as its owners' lives have changed. Part of this evolution recently included bringing Ramsay into the portfolio of Kent's long-time business partner- 689 Cellars. In its new home at 689 Cellars, the Ramsay brand has undergone a label refresh, but the wines will remain true-to-form, representing some of the best values California has to offer.
Kent's passion for winemaking is as strong as ever. He has often stated that the unfortunate truth about wine is that you only get one chance a year to make it; he jokes, "I think I'm finally figuring out how it all works!"
Covering the most vine acreage in the state compared to any other red wine variety, Cabernet Sauvignon produces as much wine in California as Merlot and Pinot Noir combined. The state’s diverse terrain and microclimates, as well as the freedom of its winemakers, allow for an incredible range of wine styles from this single grape.
California’s most famous region—and especially for Cabernet Sauvignon—is the acclaimed Napa Valley. While Cabernet is successful throughout the world, rarely has it achieved such merit as it does from the Napa Valley. At this point the two are so intrinsically linked that it is difficult to discuss one without the other.
Napa’s closest neighbor, Sonoma County, does an impressive job keeping up with Napa’s fame and glory. Alexander Valley, Sonoma Mountain, Moon Mountain and Knights Valley contribute to the lot of some of California’s top-rated Cabernet Sauvignon.
Lake County in California’s North Coast has become a focus for some of Napa’s more respected growers. From the Central Coast come iconic examples of classic California Cabernet; Lodi and the Sierra Foothills are great budget-friendly sources of amicable Cabernets.