Today we share fabulous Sonoma producer, 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. I have really enjoyed the Pinots by En Garde since I first tasted them several years back. The wines are really delicious across the board.
I found the 2022 En Garde ‘Touche Reserve’ Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 95) to be a stunning, complex Cabernet that speaks beautifully to this warm vintage. Similarly good, the 2023 ‘Pleasant Hill’ Pinot Noir (OB, 94) is dense and complex stuff that has beautiful terroir character in the salty soil accents. Learn more about these fantastic wines at https://www.engardewinery.com/ and here are my reviews of the new En Garde wines.
2023 En Garde ‘Pleasant Hill’ Pinot Noir- The 2023 ‘Pleasant Hill’ was sourced from this site in the Russian River Valley. Translucent in the glass, this delivers loads of texture with juicy strawberry, pomegranate seed and Bing cherry fruit flavors that meld well with salty soils on the palate. Jam-packed full of flavor, with great verve, enjoy now and over the next ten plus years. Drink 2025-2040- 94
2023 En Garde ‘Hernandez Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- The 2023 En Garde ‘Hernandez Vineyard’ Pinot Noir comes from the Los Carneros region. Soft and approachable, this delivers sea salt dusted red fruits that combine with blood orange zest and suggestions of loamy soils on the palate. A delight to enjoy now, savor this over the next ten years. Drink 2025-2035- 93
2022 En Garde ‘Grand Vin’ Red Wine- The outstanding 2022 ‘Grand Vin’ primarily Merlot (85%) with smaller portions Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and a touch of Petit Verdot. On the nose this shows sweet pipe tobacco and chocolate notes alongside loganberry puree. The palate comes off fat and round on the mouth with a terrific mouthfeel. Broad-shouldered and generous, the toasty oak caresses the core of black fruits, with sandalwood and hints of Cuban cigar. Delightful now, enjoy this already neatly evolved wine over the next ten plus years. Drink 2025-2037- 93
20212 En Garde ‘Hendrickson Vineyard Reserve’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2022 En Garde ‘Hendrickson Vineyard Reserve’ Cabernet Sauvignon comes from this location high atop Atlas Peak. The wine was aged in Hungarian and French oak barrels for 24 months before bottling, as this shows creme de cassis and tobacco leaf on the nose alongside pencil lead and suggestions of Black Forest Cake. Neatly textured and concentrated, with a smooth entry and lush core of black fruits, enjoy this beautiful wine over the next fifteen years. Drink 2025-2040- 94
2022 En Garde ‘Le Bijou du Reserve’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The outstanding 2022 En Garde ‘Le Bijou du Reserve’ Cabernet Sauvignon was sourced from the Sori Bricco Vineyard in the Diamond Mountain District. Aged in nearly all new French oak for 24 months, this delivers beautiful power with strong finesse on the palate. Creme de violette, tar and tobacco leaf flavors mingle well with refined tannins and a graphite edge on the palate. Round and broad-shouldered, enjoy over the next fifteen plus years to come. Drink 2025-2042- 95
2022 En Garde ‘Touche Reserve’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2022 ‘Touche Reserve’ is another stunning release of this wine. Stored in nearly all new French oak barrels, this opens with a gorgeous bouquet of violet rose petals, dark currents, pencil lead and suggestions of boysenberry coyote. The palate is complex and viscous with serious texture and good tension that frames this gorgeous bottling. Really complex and delicious now, watch this evolve over the next fifteen plus years to come. Drink 2025-2042- 95