Curious aromas of blackberries and brambleberries with fresh and dried sage. Medium to full body, round and soft tannins and a juicy, savory finish. Some smoked meat, too. Very drinkable now

Donald Patz's 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Sage Ridge Vineyard is plush and velvety, with lovely scents of cedar, vanilla, sage, cassis and black cherries on the nose. Medium to full-bodied, fully ripe yet adequately structured, it finishes long, with a wash of softly dusty tannins. 300 cases produced. Can a Pinot Noir producer reinvent himself as a maker of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon? That's the challenge Donald Patz has set himself with his Secret Door project, a venture inspired by his wife, Jung Min Lee, who he promised he would make Cabernet Sauvignon if she moved to Napa to be with him. Patz isn't trying to make jammy, valley-floor versions of Napa Cabernet, preferring wines with some herbal nuance. "Spicy, dried-herb bouquet garni is what I'm looking for," he said. Patz now sources grapes from Sage Ridge Vineyard (the former Pat Kuleto property) and Hirondelle Vineyard (part of Clos du Val's estate holdings). That will change going forward, as Clos du Val is reclaiming their Hirondelle fruit this year (2022). Like many Napa Valley producers, Patz didn't make any Cabernet Sauvignon in 2020.