Far Mountain
Amotus Cabernet Sauvignon 2023
Moon District and Sonoma County
Far Mountain Amotus Cabernet Sauvignon is the pinnacle expression of the Alta Vista Vineyard in Moon Mountain, sourced from its oldest, dry-farmed vines planted in 1971. Grown in a dramatic south-facing amphitheater of volcanic basalt and fractured granite, the site’s varied exposures and elevations yield a wine of extraordinary depth and complexity. Only the top 7 barrels are selected for Amotus, which ages 12 months in barrel and another year in foudre. The result is a powerful, finely structured Cabernet with precision, texture, and a clear sense of place.
VINEYARD
A small-scale approach, focused on expressing the unique qualities of each vineyard in the Moon Mountain District. Amotus is a blend of the most distinct components from these sites, showcasing the mountain’s defining features—its rocky terrain, mature vines, and deep-rooted balance.
WINEMAKING
Amotus captures the power of Moon Mountain, highlighting its signature chalky tannins and graphite mineral notes, a testament to the ancient volcanic rocks of the Mayacamas Range. Freshness and structure emerge early in fermentation, and the wine is aged for one year in barrels before being blended. After blending, the wine is aged for an additional year in 2,000-liter fudres, allowing for slow, gentle integration. The result is a wine with layered complexity, smooth tannins, and a beautifully textured, long finish.
VINTAGE
A wet winter and cool spring got the season off to a slow start, pushing budburst and harvest well behind schedule. The long, mild growing season proved a significant asset, allowing fruit to develop exceptional flavor and complexity at lower sugar levels than usual. A few late-summer heat spikes are credited with driving the vintage home. Harvest volumes were the largest in five years, with quality widely considered outstanding.
TASTING NOTE
Red and black fruits on the nose, with raspberries and wild blackberries complemented by savory notes of bay leaf and fresh tobacco. On the palate, it enters soft and silky, with balanced, fresh tannins that lend vibrancy.
FOOD PAIRING
Ribeye, braised short rib, aged cheddar
Color
Red
Blend %
100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Appellation
Moon District and Sonoma County
Alcohol
14%
Reviews
James Suckling - December 10, 2025 "Perfumed aromas of blueberries, blackberries, potpourri, crushed stones and ferric earth. The palate is so refined and pure, with softly integrated tannins and a soft, rounded mouthfeel that give a really mouthwaterhing and stony nature to the wine. From a dry-grown vineyard planted in the 1970s on volcanic rock. Delicious."
Vinous - February 1, 2026 "The 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Amotus is a blend of the three sites in the portfolio. Ripe black cherry fruit, mint, sweet spice, new leather and a kiss of French oak all grace this soft, open-knit Cabernet. This is very nicely balanced, in a style that is perhaps a bit riper than the other wines in the range."
Trade Materials
Other Wines by this Producer
Far Mountain Monte Rosso Vineyard
Moon District and Sonoma County
From the historic Monte Rosso vineyard planted in the 1880s and defined by its deep red volcanic soils, this Cabernet Sauvignon is crafted with a gentle and precise approach in the cellar to express the site’s structure, depth, and enduring sense of place.
The Nunnery Vineyard
Moon District and Sonoma County
The Nunnery is a striking mountain vineyard perched high in Nunn’s Canyon on the Sonoma side of the Mayacamas. The site reflects a deep understanding of mountain viticulture, where volcanic soils, elevation, and steady mountain air shape wines of clarity, structure, and vibrant energy. As a result, The Nunnery blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc is as exotic, intense and complex as its mountain soils, with remarkable depth and layered flavors.
Bresa Chardonnay
Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California
Bresa Chardonnay is a wine of substance, grown from the oldest block of Bald Mountain Vineyard, planted in 1972 with Wente clones on fractured volcanic rock. This single-parcel, dry-farmed site yields just one barrel, producing a wine of depth, tension, and dazzling clarity. Far Mountain is rooted in the belief that the most profound wines come from remote mountain sites in Sonoma. Their growers have taken decades of risk, and the winery channels that drama into wines of energy, texture, and endless fascination.
Montecillo Cabernet Sauvignon
Moon Mountain, Sonoma County, California
The Montecillo vineyard is one of California’s most historic sites, first planted in 1860. This Cabernet Sauvignon reflects the vineyard’s high elevation, volcanic soils, dry-farming, organic viticulture, and pioneering spirit. Refined and complex, it honors over a century of resilience and innovation at Montecillo, embodying the enduring legacy of California winemaking.
Fission Cabernet Sauvignon
Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California
Fission is a wine of texture, with the intensity and concentration we associate with old vines. It builds into powerful tannins that remain refined, almost cloaked by the seductiveness of the fruit and the gently building structure. The name Fission was ultimately chosen to reference the textural and mineral characteristics that the unique volcanic soil brings to this wine.
Myrna Chardonnay
Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California
Myrna combines Bald Mountain’s surprisingly delicate floral notes that move quickly to ripe yellow and more exotic fruits with salty, lime and green fruit-inflected notes from Thornton Vineyard. The sappy texture of the wine makes its presence felt, and this grows into a more defined and powerful structure with layers of spice persisting through the finish.
