Sentinel Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon
⏳ Drinking Window
Typically best enjoyed 8–20 years from the vintage, though its opulent fruit profile allows it to be approachable after 3–5 years of careful cellaring.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Grilled ribeye steak, roasted rack of lamb, braised beef short ribs
✨ Technical Specifications
Sourced from the rugged, high-elevation slopes of Howell Mountain, the Sentinel Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon is a testament to the dramatic terroir of Napa Valley's mountain appellations. Planted on iron-rich, volcanic soils that force the vines to struggle for survival, this vineyard produces small, intensely concentrated berries with thick skins. Winemaker Russell Bevan coaxes incredible opulence and textural luxury from this formidable mountain fruit, balancing the naturally robust, chalky tannins of Howell Mountain with a lavish, velvety mid-palate. The result is a wine of immense power, complexity, and dark-fruited intensity, capturing the wild, untamed spirit of the ridge.
🍾 About the Producer
Bevan Cellars was founded in 2005 by self-taught winemaker Russell Bevan, quickly ascending to cult status within California's fine wine landscape. Celebrated for an unabashedly opulent, hedonistic, and precision-driven winemaking style, Bevan partners with premier growers across premier microclimates in Napa Valley and Sonoma County. Sourcing spans esteemed terroirs such as eastern Oakville's red volcanic and alluvial soils at Tench Vineyard, the rocky slopes of Sugarloaf Mountain, and cool maritime sites in the Russian River Valley and Petaluma Gap. Viticulture emphasizes meticulous canopy control and sustainable vineyard management, harvesting fruit at optimal physiological ripeness. In the cellar, Bevan employs minimal intervention, indigenous fermentations, squeaky-clean sorting regimens, and customized French oak aging. Benchmark bottlings include his single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons such as Tench Vineyard and Sugarloaf Mountain, proprietary red blends like Ontogeny and EE, alongside textural, vibrant Sonoma Coast Chardonnays and Ritchie Vineyard expressions.
🍇 Grapes
Cabernet Sauvignon