Âmevive Cabernet Sauvignon Mira Laguna Vineyard 2025
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The Land
Santa Barbara County is known for Pinot Noir and Syrah, so Cabernet Sauvignon from the Santa Ynez Valley surprises people. The Los Olivos District explains it. Approved as an AVA in 2016, it is a broad alluvial terrace along the Santa Ynez River, running from about 400 feet at the river to 1,000 feet in the northern foothills, with gravelly fine sandy and clay loam soils that drain well. Marine fog tempers the heat. Mira Laguna Vineyard, first planted in 1998 and farmed organically from the start, sits inside the district. Its Cabernet block lies at the bottom of the hill, where cool air settles and water runs toward a natural lagoon in the valley below. That cold pocket is why this Cabernet keeps its herbal lift.
The Wine
The Âmevive Cabernet Sauvignon Mira Laguna Vineyard 2025 was picked twice, on September 23 and October 8. The team deliberately skipped leaf pulling to hold on to the grape's green, herbal side. The first pick went in with 27% whole clusters and gentle extraction. The second was destemmed and fermented as whole berries under a submerged cap, which draws color and fruit without hard tannin. Both lots spent about 20 days on skins, then 10 months in neutral and twice-used barrels and a month in tank before bottling, unfined and unfiltered, in August 2026. Sulfur is the only addition. The 2025 season in Santa Barbara County ran cooler than normal, with a mild summer and long hangtime. Expect dark blue fruit, dried herbs and bay leaf, with firm but open structure and a fresh, lifted finish. Just 74 cases were made.
The People
Âmevive, French for "living soul," is the project of Alice Anderson and Topher de Felice, who began with the 2019 vintage. Anderson studied wine and viticulture at Cal Poly, worked a harvest at Rippon in Central Otago, spent 2015 to 2017 with Pierre Gaillard in the northern Rhône, then returned to California to work at Tyler, Tribute to Grace and Tatomer. After the historic Ibarra-Young Vineyard, they took over farming at Mira Laguna in mid-2024, bringing in animals, pollinator rows, native hedgerows and bird boxes. They now call it the heart of their farming project. In the cellar, everything goes to neutral oak and bottles unfined and unfiltered, a natural wine from Santa Barbara County built to taste like a classic one.
Food Pairing
This is a Cabernet that wants herbs as much as it wants meat. Grill a flank steak rubbed with rosemary, garlic and black pepper and slice it over arugula; the wine's structure handles the char, and the herbal edge meets the rosemary. Lamb meatballs in tomato sauce with mint and feta work for the same reason. For something vegetable-driven, try a lentil and mushroom shepherd's pie, where the dark fruit and earthiness line up. A wedge of aged Gouda at the end brings salt and caramel to meet the blue fruit. This is the bottle for someone who thinks they are tired of California Cabernet.
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Cabernet Sauvignon, originally hailing from Bordeaux, France, has triumphantly spread to become a cornerstone of vineyards worldwide, achieving particular renown in Napa Valley. This versatile grape variety adapts to a broad spectrum of climates, producing full-bodied wines that are rich in black cherry and blackcurrant flavors, with layered complexities of oak and spice. The grape's success in regions like Napa Valley is a testament to its global adaptability, where it benefits from the optimal blend of warm days and cool nights, coupled with diverse soil types, to express a unique balance of power and elegance that pays homage to its Bordeaux origins.
