Cabernet Sauvignon was first planted at what is now Laurel Glen in 1968, on the east-facing slopes of Sonoma Mountain above the fog line in Glen Ellen. Patrick Campbell purchased the property in 1977, discovered he had inherited a unique clone of Cabernet Sauvignon — later certified by UC Davis as the Laurel Glen Clone — and released his first vintage in 1981. By the late 1980s, Laurel Glen had earned a place among California's first-generation cult Cabernets, celebrated for its elegance, balance, and remarkable ability to age.

After 30 vintages, Campbell sold the estate in 2011 to a small group of wine lovers led by industry veteran Bettina Sichel. Now celebrating its 40th vintage of estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Laurel Glen remains one of California's most quietly compelling wine estates — a 14-acre organic vineyard producing roughly 1,300 cases a year of a single wine from a single site.

Laurel Glen's east-facing slope is shielded from Pacific winds by the bulk of Sonoma Mountain, giving the vineyard generous morning sun, protection from afternoon heat, and a long, slow growing season. The elevation — 850 to 1,000 feet — stresses the vines and concentrates the fruit. Soils are volcanic. The result is Cabernet Sauvignon with intensity and complexity, but also a freshness and acidity that sets it apart from warmer-climate California Cabs.

The vineyard has been certified organic since 2014 — no herbicides, pesticides, or synthetic fertilizers. Winemaker Randall Watkins, who spent years working with mountain Cabernet before joining Laurel Glen, makes the wines with input from consulting winemaker David Ramey. The philosophy has never changed: no over-extraction, no heavy oak, no "fatso Cabernets." Just the vineyard, as clearly as possible.

Bettina Sichel has led Laurel Glen since 2011, bringing a rare combination of family wine heritage and commercial expertise. The daughter of Peter M.F. Sichel — who made his family's Blue Nun a household name in America — she is the fifth generation of her family in the wine business, and previously helped launch and build Quintessa over a decade as director of sales and marketing. Viticulturalist Phil Coturri, a pioneer of organic and biodynamic farming in California who grew up on Sonoma Mountain, oversees the vineyard. Winemaker Randall Watkins, a Sonoma County native who grew up on a vineyard and studied enology at UC Davis, leads the cellar.