When I open a bottle of wine to write a review – like this 2014 Yokayo Cabernet Sauvignon – I always like to tell the wine’s story and give you information about the wine. This is one of the best ways to narrow down what wines you like the most so you can consistently know how to pick a good wine.
As I try new wines, I take note of the American Viticultural Area (AVA) and the winemaker of the ones I most enjoyed. As a result, it makes it easier for me to pick out a great wine with a label I’m unfamiliar with almost 100% of the time, and I think it will help you too.
By doing this over the years, I have found that I love to drink wine from small vineyards or from winemaker’s special releases.
What is an American Viticultural Area?
An American Viticultural Area, or AVA, is really just a technical term for a region. AVAs are geographical regions that give the grapes a unique and distinguishable taste.
Yokayo Wines’ AVA
Yokayo’s cabernet sauvignon comes from grapes planted in a new and unique AVA in California. It is a vineyard on a steep hill with northern exposure and has 1100 ft elevation located at the northwest corner of Dry Creek Valley.
Located in Sonoma County near Healdsburg, this AVA is called rockpile and is approximately 15,000 acres of which only 160 are planted with vineyards. It is one of the smallest AVA’s planted in the United States and received AVA status in 2002. Rockpile gets really hot during the day, which develops the richness found in the grapes.
About the 2014 Yokayo Cabernet Sauvignon
The wine is made up of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot, 5% Malbec, 3% Cabernet Franc. The winemaker is David Rosenthal, who is the General Manager and winemaker for Yokayo Wine Company. A couple of the wineries he has been associated with are Konocti Vineyards and Buena Vista Winery.
Rosenthal began growing grapes in 1972 and continues working with his family operations as well as his own. Rosenthal Vineyards recently joined the Statewide wine acreage certified sustainable in California.
Yokayo’s Cabernet Sauvignon has a slight fragrance and aromas of dark fruit and chocolate. You can taste the currant and vanilla with soft tannins. I recommend decanting this wine for at least an hour–it has been aging in the bottle and needs to breathe and wake up the flavors. The palate will come alive with rich strawberry and molasses. It has a silky finish. This is definitely a crowd pleaser.
I would definitely pair with a heavy beef dish like stew or short ribs. If you like Cabernet Sauvignons, be sure to check out this Atlas cab from Foyt Wineries in Texas.
