Sullivan Vineyards - J.O. Sullivan Founder's Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

The Wine Independent

Wine Enthusiast

Opulent, almost sweet and drenched in blackberries, blueberries, dark chocolate and espresso, this full-bodied and firmly tannic wine is a powerhouse, aged in all new French barrels for 20 months. Yet a polished mouthfeel and subtle complexity help it develop as you sip. Best 2026–2036.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Cherries, cassis and earth notes mark the nose of the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon James O'Neil Founder's Reserve. It's full-bodied, framed by dusty tannins and appears to need at least a few years in the cellar. Might it be a touch overextracted? It finishes firm, with a hint of dark chocolate.

This oft-overlooked winery—probably because it doesn't have a Highway 29 access, it's off Galleron Road—is undergoing some reinvestment on the part of owner and tech entrepreneur Juan Pablo Torres-Padilla. Ground-breaking for a new production facility was scheduled for later this spring, after my February visit. Under the leadership of General Manager Joshua Lowell and Winemaker Jeff Cole, Sullivan has been making steady progress. We even had a chance to look at some 2022 barrel samples.

Said Cole,

Jeb Dunnuck

Coming from a valley floor site off Highway 29, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon J.O. Sullivan Founder's Reserve is just about pure perfection. Checking in as 89% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Petit Verdot that spent 22 months in 80% new French oak, this deep purple-hued beauty boasts a gorgeous perfume of blackcurrants, creme de cassis, spicy wood, chocolate, and hints of tobacco leaf. These all carry to a rich, full-bodied, concentrated Cabernet Sauvignon with the vintage's more inward, structured profile, building yet flawless tannins, and incredible balance between its richness and elegance. It has lots of up-front fruit and texture, but this is a serious wine that deserves at least 4-6 years of bottle age, and I suspect it will have decades of longevity. You can safely put this up with anything in the vintage. For the tech geeks out there, the alcohol is 14.8 and the pH is 3.78.