Smoking Loon is a favorite of ours from the selection of delicious, moderately priced wine brands made by wine geniuses Don Sebastiani and Sons in California, who also brought us Pepperwood Grove and Aquinas Napa Valley, among others. Just one look at the distinctive yellow-labeled bottles makes us thirsty. Smoking Loon emphasizes wines that are food-friendly, well-priced, and reliable from bottle to bottle, not surprising considering the culinary roots of the winemakers. Winemaker Greg Kitchens developed a passion for pairing wine and food early in his educational career. Before coming to Don Sebastiani & Sons in 2001, Greg worked with Beaulieu Vineyards and the Sebastiani family's original winery in Sonoma. The company’s consultant winemaker, Richard Bruno, spent 12 years in the San Francisco restaurant industry before he started working at wineries. Today, Smoking Loon produces nine varietals, including five reds and four whites, all sourced from top quality California vineyards. In addition to great taste and value, Smoking Loon embraces modern technology, marketing savvy, winemaking innovation, and plenty of experience to produce value wines that are hard to beat as accompaniments to fine dining. Collectively, the Sebastiani winery was named 2005 Wine Star Award “American Winery of the Year” by Wine Enthusiast Magazine and singled out as “Winery of the Year” by Gombery, Fredrickson & Associates. Winery History The family’s winemaking history stretches back over a century. In 1895, Samuele Sebastiani immigrated to America from Lucca, Italy, and made his way to California. In just nine years of work, including a job as a quarryman in Sonoma, he saved enough to buy land, grow grapes, and begin making wine as he had been taught to back in Italy. At first, this wine was sold in bulk and rebranded by other larger wineries. By the 1920’s, Samuele was successful enough to begin developing the town of Sonoma, building a church, theater, hotel, apartments, and a skating rink, and he continued to prosper through the war. Towards the end of World War II, the winery was purchased by Samuele’s son August and his wife Sylvia, who began developing name branded wines and premium varietals in moderately priced magnums, allowing the purchaser to buy in bulk and save. They ran the winery successfully until the 1970s, when their son Sam took over. In the late 1980s, August and Sylvia’s youngest son Don, a three-term state Assemblyman, took over the winery and began an aggressive expansion, growing from two million cases to eight million cases per year. In 2000, the winery sold its Central Valley assets and several wine brands to Canandaigua Wines, but kept the original wine brand and its Sonoma winery and vineyard for itself. In 2004, the new company, Don Sebastiani and Sons, began developing new, appellation-driven labels and some far out concepts, bringing fresh innovation to the wine market. They created the Three Loose Screws Wine Company, with the goal of creating upscale, but moderately priced varietal wines. This stable includes Smoking Loon, Pepperwood Grove, Used Automobile Parts, Mia's Playground, and Aquinas Napa Valley, among others. The company focuses on a more direct, personal approach to bringing wine to consumers. By 2007, the company was producing over two million cases per year and is now one of the largest in America.
About WineA fruity, full bodied Cabernet that delivers tremendous taste for the price from the outstanding winery of Smoking Loon, which specializes in food-friendly, well crafted, competively priced varietals. When you savor the wine, expect fine balance, with true Cabernet aromas of cinnamon and cloves alongside notes of cherry and toasty oak. Cabernet is the undisputed champion of California's red wine grapes, owing to ideal growing conditions and innovative winery techniques that result in complex, densely colored wines with bold, full body character. Smoking Loon has hand selected and blended grapes sourced from excellent appellations throughout California, bringing together a rich, unique taste showing off the best of the state. Pair this Cabernet with lamb chops with mint jelly, beef and porcini mushrooms in an oyster sauce, or even big veal meatballs in a rich tomato sauce over your favorite pasta. With enough structure to stand up to hearty dishes, its fruit is enough to enjoy as much as the appetizer itself.
Tasting NotesDark plum color with a nose reminiscent of black cherries with a touch of cinnamon and cloves. Brimming with ripe raspberry and blackberry fruit with a touch of white pepper and dill; this Cabernet Sauvignon finishes with notes of currants and strawberry rhubarb pie filling.
