A very new world meets old world winery based in Sonoma, En Garde makes 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 was massively impressed with the Pinots that I tasted in my Sonoma Report earlier this year.
This set of tastings were every bit as good — if not better. Csaba has crafted some remarkably consistent bottlings from the really good 2019 vintage. I adored the new 2019 En Garde ‘Oak Knoll’ Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 93) which shows beautiful depth and good underlying poise. The best wine I tasted was the 2019 En Garde ‘Touche Reserve’ Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 95) which might not be the biggest ‘Reserve’ Cabernet you will taste but the wine shows amazing depth, flavor complexity and poise. It is quite simply a beauty! Learn more about these fantastic wines at https://www.engardewinery.com/ and here are my reviews of the new En Garde wines.
2019 En Garde ‘Oak Knoll’ Cabernet Sauvignon- This 2019 edition from the Oak Knoll region has just a dash of Petit Verdot blended in. Aged in a combination of French and Hungarian oak, this shows concentrated black licorice, blackberry, anise and chocolate flavors alongside bright minerality on the palate. This is seriously lifted, sexy Cab that would be a perfect foil for a juicy ribeye steak. Drink 2023-2038- 93
2019 En Garde ‘Atlas Peak’ Cabernet Sauvignon- Coming from the Hendrickson Vineyard, this wine also has a touch of Petit Verdot as well as Cabernet Franc blended in. This shows a great veil of tension once on the mouth with a silky mouthfeel. Concentrated dark cherry and black raspberry flavors combine with salty soils and stony undertones on the palate. Enjoy this beauty now and over the next fifteen plus years. Drink 2023-2038- 92
2019 En Garde ‘Le Bijou du Roi’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 100% varietal 2019 En Garde ‘Le Bijou du Roi’ Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from the Sori Bricco Vineyard. This shows great poise on the palate with milk chocolate covered espresso bean, creme de violette, tar and anise notes alongside brilliant stony undercurrents. Medium to full-bodied, this is already nicely evolved stuff that will cellar well for another fifteen to twenty years. Drink 2023-2039- 94
2019 En Garde ‘Touche Reserve’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2019 ‘Touche Reserve’ comes from all three vineyard sites that En Garde sources from. This might not be the most concentrated ‘Reserve’ Cabernet you will find in Napa — yet everything is absolutely singing in unison here. Espresso grounds, black currants, black tea and asian spices combine with hints of red rose water on the palate. Very complex, and showing good verve, this beauty will cellar well over the next fifteen plus years. Drink 2023-2039- 95