One of the top pieces of advice I can give anyone is this: if you want to buy great wines at a discount, don’t buy from famous places.

Case in point: Knights Valley produces some killer Cabs, but you probably never heard of it.

Beringer has been the main player in Knights Valley since the 1960’s and owns much of the vineyards, about 600 acres.  It sits at the northeastern tip of Sonoma, where it connects with Napa Valley at Calistoga; Alexander Valley and Chalk Hill lie to its western borders.

The valley sports the warmest daytime temperatures in Sonoma, but its high elevation contributes to a wide diurnal shift –hot days, cool nights– that contributes to a long growing season. The gravel-rich and well-drained alluvial soils keep water stress in the peak zone without the need for irrigation.

Major league ripeness with meaty layers of vanilla-burnt oak, fresh figs, chocolate-flecked dates, and olive tapenade . And that’s just the aroma. Full bodied with the dense and melted tannins stacked into a wealth of oak and chocolate ganache. Dense mountain of dark fruit finishes ebbs slowly into a mineral-and liqourice finish that doesn’t quite ever finish. It just rides around in a Ferrari made of cinnamon and blackberries for a few more minutes.

Coming in at $40 (Thank you, PLCB!), a bottling this luxurious would tip the scales at $250 if it came out of Napa Valley rather then Knights Valley.  A barrel selection of 81,000 cases.

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