2008 Hawk & Horse Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon

We all know that we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover or a wine by its label, but most of us do it anyway (myself included). I agree that it’s what is on the inside that counts, but pretty packaging is [pretty] important…

A few years ago, I read an article that compared the sales of wines with different types of label designs. I was shocked to see that wines with an animal on the label had higher sales volumes than wines without an animal on the label.

I observed the same results in my own experience while working at a collective tasting room (Napa Wine Company), where one of the most popular wines had a dog jumping through a hula hoop on the label (Hoopes Cabernet Sauvignon).

But I've never thought much about how my opinion of a wine is affected by the label until I received a bottle of Hawk and Horse Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon for review purposes two weeks ago. I knew instantly that I would it.

Did my intuition tell me I would like it because of the animal on the label? I don’t know, but my intuition was right!

The 2008 Hawk and Horse Vineyards Lake County Cabernet Sauvignon ($65/bottle) is a very enjoyable wine. Dark and concentrated in the glass, it offers a complex and alluring bouquet. With aromas of sour cherry, red currant, espresso, anise, pomegranate and violet, this is a wine you want to inhale deeply before each sip! I was pleased to find that the palate confirms the nose with the addition of sweet vanilla and a faint whisper of white pepper on the finish. The red fruit medley is balanced by supple tannins and a rich mouthfeel. It seems to have the weight and power to cellar for a few more years, but it’s so delicious right now—why wait?

Hawk and Horse Vineyards is a super-small winery in the Red Hills appellation of Lake County, California. In addition to the Cabernet Sauvignon (there were only 1,150 cases produced of the 2008 vintage!), they also make a small amount of a traditional late-bottled vintage port-style wine called Latigo. There are only 18 vineyards planted on their property, all of which are biodynamically and organically farmed. Husband and wife team, Mitch and Tracey Hawkins, run the vineyard and winery operations and they offer tastings and tours by appointment on the ranch.

The horse on the label is not just effective marketing. The property is a former equestrian facility and there are still many horses that roam the grassy pastures around the winery.

The Hawk and Horse wines will also be poured at the San Francisco Vintner’s Market on November 17-18^th. (P.S. Living Social is offering a deal on tickets right now!) I’ll be there, will you?