Origin Wines, 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, Bates Ranch – An Underground Winery?
The Winery
Photo from Origin website
The winery is owned by two friends, John Hurley and Jason Rasmussen. John lives on the west coast working on the branding of the wine. Jason is leading the charge on the business and winemaking process from New York. The Bates Ranch is located high in the Santa Cruz mountains upwards of 2100 feet elevation. They produce three varieties of grapes on the property, Pinot Noir, Rosé and their Cabernet Sauvignon. Their grapes are sustainably grown, natively fermented and dry farmed.
Their label with the long-horned bulls denoted the bulls roaming the Bates Ranch with the towering Santa Cruz Mountains in the background. Some of the vines are 80 years old! The label was the creation of Melia Tandanio and RF Alvarez.
They are almost a bit reclusive as I called several times but no answer. I did hear from a friend that they have full time other jobs but couldn’t get additional information for this story which helps explains their silence. That said, they are not so far underground as their Cabernet Sauvignon received 94 points from Wine Enthusiasts.
The Wine – “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
While the winery may be “under the radar”, the wine is certainly not! Their Cabernet Sauvignon is big, bold, earthy and natural. First on the eyes a dark red elixir with beautiful black fruit aromas raising up to greet the nose. On the palate is where this wine was spot on and could easily be coming from Napa Valley, Rutherford specifically. Dark cherries, blackberry fruits co-mingled with graphite shavings and a “dustiness” (similar to Rutherford Dust) provide a complete tasting experience. The finish with its layers of structure, edgy tannins and crushed gravely stones lasted extremely long and was very satisfying.
Picked from 3 blocks of varying elevations with 50% coming from the peak at 2100 feet elevation, this wine with its depth, reminded me of the hillsides of Napa Cabernet Sauvignon’s. The wine is sustainably grown and is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. It comes in at 13.7% alcohol and is listed at $72/bottle and comes with free shipping.
The Food and Wine Pairing – “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners” – Andre Simon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Paired this evening with a beef and broccoli stir fry. Ingredients for the stir fry included lean trimmed sirloin beef, canola oil, reduced-sodium chicken broth, broccoli, ginger root, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, water and low sodium soy sauce. Accompanied by short and long grain wild rice. The wine took on some “different” notes with the garlic and soy sauce, but still was delicious. After the meal, while sipping the wine, the true characteristics of this quality wine appeared.
This wine will make my annual “Best Wines Tasted” for calendar year 2024. Will hope to talk with and hopefully meet the owners soon.
Sláinte,
Michael