Far Mountain
The Nunnery Vineyard 2023
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.
VINEYARD
Located at the end of Nunn’s Canyon on the Sonoma side of the Mayacamas, The Nunnery is reached by passing through a redwood forest at the base of the mountain before ascending into the vineyard itself. The site was designed and planted by renowned viticulturalist Phil Coturri and has been farmed organically since its inception.
WINEMAKING
Ripening is monitored closely, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc converging naturally in maturity and harvested together. The varieties are co-fermented in open-top fermenters: Cabernet Franc placed at the base, followed by destemmed Cabernet Sauvignon gravity-fed on top. The must undergoes a 4–5 day cold soak at 50°F with daily homogenization. Fermentation begins as the tank warms to 60°F, rising naturally to 86°F. Punch-downs and pump-overs manage early extraction, transitioning to gentler homogenization.
VINTAGE
The 2023 season began with a cold, wet winter delivering 39 inches of rainfall—replenishing reservoirs, creeks, and the water table. A cool, damp spring delayed budbreak by 10 to 14 days depending on site exposure, while shoot growth and cluster development reached ideal balance by early summer. Mild, consistent summer temperatures supported a slow ripening curve, allowing flavors and phenolics to develop fully without rapid sugar accumulation. Yields were higher than recent vintages, and the fruit showed exceptional acidity, depth, and site-driven expression.
TASTING NOTE
This wine balances tightly packed fruit and aromatic lift with minerals, a mountain personality and an herbal edge.
FOOD PAIRING
Roasted lamb chops, braised beef barbacoa, or mushroom lasagna
Color
Red
Blend %
67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Cabernet Franc
Appellation
Moon District and Sonoma County
Alcohol
14%
Suggested Retail Price
$103
Reviews
Vinous - February 1, 2026 "The 2023 The Nunnery is a blend of co-fermented Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc from one of the most evocative sites on Moon Mountain. Deep, bold and impressively layered, the 2023 is a total stunner. Time in the glass brings out scents of mocha, lavender, dried herbs, incense, licorice and sweet pipe tobacco. This young, virile wine is still coming together in bottle, but it is seriously impressive. Huge, sweeping tannins need time to settle."
James Suckling - December 10, 2025 "This wine balances tightly packed fruit and aromatic lift with minerals, a mountain personality and an herbal edge. The palate is taut and precise, with mouthwatering acidity, a lush mouthfeel and chalky tannins from being grown on volcanic ash. Unique and precise. From 33% whole-cluster, co-fermented cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon. The premier release of this pure, thoughtful wine."
Trade Materials
Other Wines by this Producer
The Nunnery Vineyard 2023
Moon District and Sonoma County
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.
Amotus 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.
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.
