2007 Mon Chevalier Cabernet Sauvignon
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Tasting notes
(86% cabernet sauvignon, 8% cabernet franc, 3% merlot, 2% malbec and 1% petit verdot; from a vineyard planted at 1,100 to 1,500 feet on volcanic ash, near Peter Michael, where Morlet previously made wine) Full ruby to the rim. Reticent aromas of blackberry and minerals. Juicy, spicy and penetrating, with a distinct mountain character to its intense black fruit, dark chocolate and mineral flavors. A very firmly structured wine that finishes with a strong tannic framework and noteworthy freshness and lift. Lay this one down.
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Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The most tannic and backward of this trio is the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Mon Chevalier. It suffers somewhat in comparison to its two siblings, but it reveals abundant notes of chocolate, red berries, black currants, and graphite, and is capable of lasting 15-20 years. This is a brilliant portfolio of wines from Frenchman Luc Morlet. Production for these cuvees ranges from a low of 75 cases for several of the Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs, to a high of 660 cases for the Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc/Muscadelle blend called La Proportion Doree. Only indigenous yeasts are used in the fermentations as well as 100% French oak barrels, there is no fining or filtration, and all the wines are made with a hand-crafted zeal for high quality. The 2007 and 2008 Chardonnays would make a tremendous comparative tasting to decide which vintage turned out better. In most cases, 2007 gets the nod, but at this estate, it’s pretty much a dead heat. I suspect the only way to secure any of the Morlet Family Vineyards’ wines is to get on their mailing list. Tel. (707) 967-8690; Fax (707) 967-8590
(blended with 6% cabernet franc, 2% merlot, and 1% each petit verdot and malbec) Saturated full ruby. Blackcurrant, black plum syrup, smoke and rocky, flinty minerality on the nose. Sweet on entry, then firmer in the middle, with complex flavors of plum, blueberry, licorice, lavender and cedar. The substantial tannins arrive late, giving this potentially long-aging wine a chance to express itself. Finishes with captivating hints of licorice and lavender. Morlet worked with Knights Valley cabernet during his years as winemaker for Peter Michael, but his own version comes across as a bit less austere than the Peter Michael cabernet.
The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Mon Chevalier has aged impeccably. A dark, sumptuous wine, the 2007 is endowed with copious dark cherry, plum, gravel, bittersweet chocolate, crushed rocks, sage and lavender all meld together in this potent Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. What a terrific debut this is.