Clos Julien Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma 2022

2022 was a miracle vintage in a lot of ways. First off, after a very small 2021 vintage, 2022 was much bigger l – meaning there was a little more fruit to go around. Second – the weather in 2022 in Sonoma made Cabernet much more akin to its more inland twin: Napa Valley.

The surprise came with a September heat wave – which was a problem in Napa, but in cooler Sonoma the vines flourished, putting out some of the most intensely flavored Cabernet Sauvignon in years or even decades.

With all the making of a once in a lifetime vintage, the folks at Clos Julien knew they couldn’t just sit on their hands. They picked up the phone and called all their friends in Napa, Sonoma and more looking to secure some of the magical 2022 Cabernet fruit for themselves to make the uber-rare CJ Cabernet bottling. They absolutely struck gold in the Knights Valley of Sonoma.

Our first ever Clos Julien Cabernet Sauvignon is absolutely fantastic. After tasting it, I took every bottle I could – but I also make one thing clear to the CJ team – they need to be making more Cabernet. This is a home-run score for the Nicholas Wines faithful.