OFFROUTE Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville 2023

We're a tight-knit community here in Napa Valley. That isn't a secret. Less well-known is how relationships form amongst us. As professionals in the wine industry, we know how to navigate and nurture our trusted relationships. The schools our children attend are key to building these long-lasting connections, as in any community. Sometimes we make friends with wine country visitors. Occasionally, these visitors move here, taking a risk to pursue their passion. Becoming a vintner isn't always their goal, but sometimes it happens. This was Joy and Bryan Timonere's story. Karen and her husband met them over two decades ago while hosting them to wine tastings at both Orin Swift and ACME. Their passions led them to individual callings, from harvest internships to operations. They learned from Napa's greatest vineyard and winemaking teams: Mike Wolf, Celia Welch, Francoise Peschon, and Thomas Brown. They worked at renowned properties—Kelly Fleming, Araujo, Vine Hill Ranch, and Outpost Winery on Howell Mountain. Both Joy and Bryan soon transitioned into hand-picked roles at Outpost and the newly purchased Platt Vineyard. They took nothing for granted, setting the stage for the next steps and another friendship that would guide them forward.

Enter Matt Peterson, former winemaker at Staglin Family Vineyard, now at FUTO, and his wife Johanna. This unexpected foursome didn't set out to start a business. Instead, as the two couples put it, “OFFROUTE was founded by friends who never intended to build just another wine brand. Our path began in iconic cellars and wound through remote vineyard sites, late-night gatherings, and a shared belief that wine should be an exploration — not a commodity." OFFROUTE takes the road less traveled in pursuit of something just off the map.

Their 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon was sourced from old vines planted at the base of Mt. George in Coombsville. The grapes are one clone of one varietal from one acre. The elevated site exploits the cold wind coming off the San Pablo Bay, with an extended growing season that allows the grapes to ripen slowly, develop structure, and maintain acidity. The Clone 4 clone of Cabernet brings intensity in aromatics, big tannins, and blue and black fruits on the nose. Whether it’s the concentration of singularity or the age of the vines, the resulting wine seems almost to shout from the rooftops, “I’m a Coombsville Cabernet!