Marineau Mills Iron Ring Cabernet Sauvignon Calistoga 2023

A few years ago, we began sourcing fruit from a neighboring vineyard, just next door to our estate. We quickly discovered that this parcel of Cabernet Sauvignon added a regal and elegant quality to our own fruit. The Bordeaux-style blend it inspired became known as Iron Ring.

In Canadian engineering tradition, the Iron Ring represents responsibility to the community. It is a symbol of hard work, humility, and doing things the right way. As an engineer, Sebastien wears his Iron Ring every day, and that same commitment to precision and perseverance guides how we farm and make wine.

In the years ahead, Iron Ring will continue to be Cabernet Sauvignon–based, complemented by classic Bordeaux varietals (Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, and Petit Verdot) that lend nuance, texture, and depth.

Tasting Notes

Savory and layered, with notes of baking chocolate and blueberry. A cooling freshness runs through the wine, supported by a round, mouth-filling body. The addition of the other Bordeaux varietals heightens the Cabernet Sauvignon’s best qualities—its cassis, structure, and subtle herbaceous edge—much like how salt enhances flavor in cooking. Together they create a deeply compelling, age-worthy wine.

Production Notes

Blend: 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7.5% Merlot, 7% Malbec, 5.2% Petit Verdot, 3.3% Cabernet Franc
Vineyards: Cabernet Sauvignon from Marineau Mills Estate and Iron Ring; Merlot, Malbec & Petit Verdot from Oakville; Cabernet Franc from Calistoga
Harvested: October 14, 2023
Cases: 79
Élévage: aged in mostly new French oak barrels (Sylvain, Demptos, Dargaud et Jaeglé)

Press

Decanter, 94 points

"Elegant and stylish from aromatics to finish, it offers a joyful medley of blackberry and spiced plum fruit, captivating cedarwood accents, and nuances of sagebrush. Medium- to full-bodied, it is framed by superfine tannins, a touch of wet-slate minerality, and a dusting of cocoa powder, all carried by refreshing acidity through the finish." - Jonathan Cristaldi

JamesSuckling, 93 points

"A bold, full-bodied wine with chocolate and blackberry aromas, offering rich and ripe flavors on a bed of soft tannins. Cocoa, vanilla bean, blackberry jam, black cherry and spearmint flavors. Excellent concentration and layering." - Jim Gordon

Vinous, 93 points

"The 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Iron Ring is packed with dark-toned fruit, leather and incense. Gravel and dried herbs fill out the layers. This ample, resonant Calistoga Cabernet Sauvignon is quite showy. It's an impressive debut from Marineau Mills, and hopefully a blueprint for the future." - Antonio Galloni