Model Farm and I go back a ways. Through Sean at Rhys, and then Joanna at Kutch, this is how I met them. And I am glad both have stayed the course and keep making Model Farm. I buy the Chards, which I dig. Along with Kutch, these are the only CA chards I keep in my cellar. And I keep no Cab, mainly because the modern stuff isn’t to my taste. But, I stayed alongside the Model Farm Cab project and from the side watched them bring it along, and they produced their first wine from the 2021 vintage, which I have been drinking the past few days. Listed at 13.5%, and only neutral oak used, it’s the kind of Cab I can drink, and want to drink. And uniquely, I see how Sean and Joanna’s syrah thinking and farming can influence a wine like this. My note below speaks to it. I love the passion they have for wine, and the stuff they make. For $80, this is the stuff I want to drink.
- 2021 Model Farm Cabernet Sauvignon Berger Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Mountain (2/1/2025)
Opened yesterday, working through more of the bottle today. For me, the influence of the Model Farm syrah program shows in this wine. There is something savory about it, syrah-like. Garrigue, maybe even some lavender and the cool red-fruited acidity. Just resonates cool climate syrah. Where the Cabernet comes in is in the cedar, tobacco leaf and cherry, although I suppose cassis (as it shows in the critical reviews) may be what some might say but I don't use or have cassis around but cherry I do. I know red fruit, this wine says it. And there is an interesting light powdered cocoa thing that floats through the fruit, just enough of it to add a little riff on the wine (they use only neutral Bdx wood). Yet, it's nothing like the chocolate bar stuff that I personally don't dig in modern Cabernet. Some like it, I don't. Past the cocoa, the finish shows charcoal, and some tar (akin again to syrah). There is a beautiful juiciness to this wine, which when the acidity is joined to it, just really delicious. This is the first vintage of the Berger Vineyard Cab that they have made from Sonoma Mtn. It's $80 and it's damn good. I've got the 2022, I'll try that one in a few weeks.
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They make beautiful wine.
Joanna has a palate that’s off the charts good. We blind tasted with her at Jamie’s house. First time I met her and I was like “what planet is she from?” LOL
I think of both Joanna Wells and Astrid Keel in this same refined skillset. I love drinking with Astrid because she makes me think. Joanna has that same keen sense and confidence about what is in her glass, yet humble.
I wish more women posted here and shared their impressions. It is lacking in our forum, lacking.
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Probably makes the best sense to tag my note here onto this thread. Both wines come from the same plot–Berger Vineyard in Sonoma, with the first wine above being from the older vines, whereas the note below is from the younger vines. And since I have tasted both now, I would agree with the winery that both wines are reflective of the older era Cabs. What do I mean? As I say in my note below, this is far from the modern Cab style, which I just don’t care for. I know the modern stuff is where Napa has gone, and I have a great friend in this business who does that modern style well, yet I just don’t enjoy that modern style beyond a few sips anymore.
Of note, I have known Sean and Joanna for a long time now–Joanna used to work for Jamie Kutch, and Sean at Rhys. I’ve stayed with them both through Model Farm, and I buy their Cabs and Chard because I appreciate the wines. You can afford them, they are farmed with an intention to honor both the land and the older way, and well, they just taste good. I’m glad they are still at it, and that they have chosen now to make the Cabs.
- 2023 Model Farm Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Mountain (6/5/2025)
Opened this last night, I wanted something still and red, with lower ABV and minimal wood signature. I know with Model Farm, and with this Cab I'd be in that lane. The aromatics here ring true--like a cigar leaf/leafy note, then lavender with a floral. For the palate, there is some cool juxtaposition in the wine. I say that because there is a plusher texture (the pH on the wine per their website is 3.7), and yet within the wine there is some nice crunchy red fruit that works well, too. Going further, the wine has a cross of a black and red fruit, with a fresh, tart edge. I guess we might call this blackcurrant from what I can recall but since I've never tasted one, I'll stay with my black/red comment. The finish? Iron. A prominent irony note is threaded through the fruit, along with a lightly sweet tinge of berry. Once I let the finish just linger, the red-tinged acidity of the fruit adds length, plus a cool cocoa note shows up, too. I really enjoy this. Why? It's got acid, it's got good fruit. And as much, what it doesn't have is the heavy cloak of new, mocha-laced oak, with weight and density. $45 for this wine--yeah man.
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