Some might not know that Sullivan Rutherford Estate dates all the way back 1972. Jim Sullivan’s interest in wine was ignited in the 1950s with a simple grape arbor given to him and his new bride as a wedding gift and he began to make wine at home before moving his family to Rutherford and establishing Sullivan in 1972. The winery began new ownership in 2018 which involved investing in vineyard programs and plans are underway to build a state-of-the-art winery and hospitality facilities which was all led by entrepreneur Juan Pablo Torres-Padilla.
Last year I had the chance to taste a range of Sullivan’s top ‘Founder’s Reserve’ wines from vintages 2013-2017. This line was formerly known as ‘James O’ Neil’ and I was quite honestly blown away with the wines. This year I had to chance to taste the new range of wines by Sullivan and was super impressed with the overall quality. Do not miss out on the gorgeous 2019 Sullivan ‘Founder’s Reserve’ Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 96) is concentrated and deep, with beautiful underlying poise. Learn more at https://sullivanwine.com Here are my tasting notes from the new Sullivan Rutherford East wines.
2019 J.O. Sullivan ‘Founder’s Reserve’ Merlot- The opulent 2019 J.O. Sullivan ‘Founder’s Reserve’ Merlot is a delightful effort that is already beautifully evolved. Once on the nose this takes on black rose petals with cigar box, anise and shades of graphite with intense dark fruit tones. The palate is very plush and seamless throughout the drinking experience. Finishing long, this reveals heady cassis and pencil lead notes alongside freshly tilled loamy soils. Enjoy this beauty now and over the next fifteen plus years. Drink 2022-2037- 94
2019 Sullivan Rutherford Estate ‘Coeur de Vigne’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The intense 2019 Sullivan Rutherford Estate ‘Coeur de Vigne’ Cabernet Sauvignon delivers a plush mouthfeel with lovely herbal undertones that collide with cassis, blueberry pie and espresso ground notes. Enjoy now and over the next decade. Drink 2022-2032- 92
2019 J. O. Sullivan ‘Founder’s Reserve’ Cabernet Sauvignon- Decadent, refined and showing beautiful elegance, the 2019 J. O. Sullivan ‘Founder’s Reserve’ Cabernet Sauvignon is a masterclass by Sullivan Rutherford Estate. Very inky once in the glass, this delivers graphite and garrigue notes that combine with intense dark fruits and violets on the nose. The palate is intense and hedonistic, with a serious mineral backbone. Opulent black and blue fruits combine with stony accents on the palate. Finishing very long with black fruits and minerals, this is an exceedingly good wine that has a long life ahead of it. Drink 2022-2040- 96