Bonded Winery No 2 by the Bundschu Family Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County 2022

Back in the mid-1800s, California’s wine industry was just getting started. But Jacob Gundlach and a couple of friends were already busy planting 60,000 vines on his newly acquired Sonoma property, deemed the ‘Rhinefarm.’

A physical winery in San Francisco—recognized by the government as Bonded Winery No. 2—and an important partnership with Charles Bundschu, who would later marry Jacob’s daughter, soon followed. So did nearly a million gallons of wine and a stellar reputation with wine lovers around the world.

When an earthquake demolished the winery in 1906, they paused, pivoted, moved operations to their estate vineyards and came back stronger than ever. Now, 165-plus years on, the fifth and sixth generations of Bundschus have outlasted countless more challenges and continue to produce a range of high-caliber wines with site-specific character.

They attribute a lot of their success to an increased focus on sustainable viticulture. After implementing organic practices in 2019, the winery became sixteenth in the world to earn Regenerative Organic certification, four years later.

The agricultural approach goes beyond conventional organic farming by prioritizing the health of the entire vineyard ecosystem, aiming to reinvigorate, rather than maintain, its natural resources. And it birthed this Cabernet Sauvignon—making it the perfect celebration of the family’s modern ambitions and long-lasting legacy.

Aged in oak for 18 months, the wine is smooth and supple on the palate, with rich and inviting flavors of cocoa, fig, blackberry and plum carry on through a satisfying finish. It’s a truly delectable taste of California history.