Today it is my pleasure to share the range of wines my En Garde. This brand produces a beautiful range of wines from Sonoma Pinot to Napa Cabernet and even Petite Sirah. Founder and winemaker Csaba Szakál grew up on his family’s vineyards, learning winemaking and viticulture from family. He spent his summers helping tend the vineyards and quickly learned the value of working hard to achieve a goal. He saw first hand how disciplined you must be during harvest. Csaba produces some beautiful Sonoma Pinots as well as high-elevation Cabernet Sauvignon from three Napa Valley mountaintop AVA’s. I loved his Pinots which I tasted in my 2023 Sonoma Report.
The new wines I tasted were all from Napa which is why I am not including them in my upcoming Sonoma Report. Each wine was fabulous in terms of richness and verve. The best wine I tasted was the world-class 2021 En Garde ‘Touche Reserve’ Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 96) which is the finest wine I have tasted from this house yet. Rich and viscous with good nerve, this will be a 20 year wine. Learn more about these fantastic wines at https://www.engardewinery.com/ and here are my reviews of the new En Garde wines.
2021 En Garde ‘Grand Vin’ Red Wine- The seriously good 2021 ‘Grand Vin’ is mainly Merlot (85%) with smaller portions Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and a touch of Petit Verdot. This is soft and generous on the mouth, with sandalwood accents that caress a core of chocolate covered coffee bean, loganberry puree and shades of tar with tobacco leaf. Full-bodied and beautifully-textured, enjoy this outstanding bottling now and over the next fifteen plus years to come. Drink 2024-2040- 93
2021 En Garde ‘Hendrickson Vineyard Reserve’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2021 En Garde ‘Hendrickson Vineyard Reserve’ Cabernet Sauvignon was sourced from this site on Atlas Peak. Stored in a combination of Hungarian and French oak barrels for 24 months (66% new), this comes off wonderfully stony on the nose with wet rock, cassis, sweet pipe tobacco and suggestions of violets. The palate is seriously good and layered with a bright beam of acidity that runs through the core of black and blue fruits. A killer wine at 100 bucks, enjoy this beautiful effort now and over the next fifteen plus years to come. Drink 2024-2040- 94
2021 En Garde ‘Le Bijou du Reserve’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The beautiful and harmonious 2021 En Garde ‘Le Bijou du Reserve’ Cabernet Sauvignon comes from the Sori Bricco Vineyard in the Diamond Mountain District. Stored in 80% new French oak for 24 months before bottling, this delivers wonderful concentration in its Black Forest Cake and cassis notes alongside shades of pencil lead and stony minerals. Full-bodied and voluptuous in terms of both weight and texture, enjoy this stunner now and over the next twenty years to come. Drink 2024-2042- 95
2021 En Garde ‘Touche Reserve’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2021 ‘Touche Reserve’ is a barrel selection wine made by winemaker Csaba Szakal. Once on the nose this takes on layers of toasty oak that mingle well with dark chocolate shavings, toasted dates, black currant cordial and suggestions of black licorice. The palate is plush and seamless throughout the drinking experience, offering a core of concentrated black and blue fruits alongside wet stone and cedar accents. Totally captivating to taste now, enjoy this beauty over the next two decades. Drink 2024-2044- 96