Csaba Szakál makes En Garde Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Albariño, and more in the Kenwood area of Sonoma Valley. I first met him at a wine competition in 2013. It was early in his professional winemaking career but the wines were a class apart— pure, flavorful and polished. They remain so and are even better today.

The winemaking process is gentle and hands-on in the manual, not manipulative sense. Grapes are sorted and de-stemmed, but not crushed. They undergo cold soak in macro bins. Then, fermentation takes place there too, naturally with ambient yeast. A melange of additional yeasts are judiciously mixed in over time. The punchdowns are gentle. Racking is done reductively and without pumps.

En Garde Pinot Noir

Csaba sources his Pinot Noir from five vineyards in the Russian River Valley. He selected sites that are on north-facing hillsides. This means the soils are well-drained, above the occasional floods, and get less daily sun. The latter means a longer growing season which brings dark color, soft tannins, and complex, well-developed flavors without sacrificing freshness.

2016 En Garde Pinot Noir Starkey Hill, Russian River Valley 93 14.5% 750ml $60

The Starkey Hill vineyard is located in Sebastopol near the Green Valley AVA and features 30+ year old vines of 23, 828 and Pommard.

In the glass, ripe red and black cherry lead the aromas with lovely accents of  sandalwood, spice, bergamot, dark flowers, charcoal, and vanilla adding interest. The palate is a generous medium body with very fine, soft, well-integrated tannins and a touch of glycerine which clings to the mouth and helps extend the finish. The intense flavors of tangy dark red cherry jam, black raspberry, toasted oak, spice, and orange are buoyed by acidity. This is richly elegant Pinot Noir, very drinkable now and not at all fatiguing. For those who like age on their Pinot Noir, this one should be go for at least a decade.

2016 En Garde Pinot Noir Reserve Russian River Valley 94 14.9% 750ml $80

Absolutely lovely on the nose with perfectly ripe dark red cherry, pomegranate, ripe strawberry, tangerine peel, sassafras, baking spice, toasted oak, vanilla, and brown sugar—something new emerges with each sniff. In the mouth, it’s dry with medium body, lively acidity, very fine, well-integrated tannins, and an extremely long finish. The flavors are gracefully intense, complex but harmonious. Look for tangy red cherry and strawberry, spice, tangerine, cranberry sauce, and a hint of wood. Unlike many “reserve” wines, this one isn’t a study in oak. Comparing the two Pinot Noir reviewed here, this one’s Cate Blanchett, the Starkey is Charlize Theron.

En Garde Cabernet Sauvignon

As with the Pinot Noir, Szakál prefers sites which are on the cool side and well-drained. In this case, that means low-yielding, mountain fruit. The vineyards are above the fog, so they get plenty of sun. But breezes and high elevations mean hang times up to 30 days longer than on the valley floor.

2014 En Garde Cabernet Sauvignon Spence Vineyard, Howell Mountain, Napa Valley 93 15.2% 750ml $100

The Spence Vineyard is at 1,900 feet on the eastern side of Howell Mountain, directly north of Beringer Steinhauer Ranch, where it gets relatively little late-afternoon sun but consistent wind. The soils at Spence feature a deeper layer volcanics than many sites on the mountain. These factors contribute to an extended growing season that delivers small berries with thick skins.

The En Garde Howell Mountain is dark ruby-purple in the glass with enticing aromas of black cherry, briary black currant, dark mineral, oak, and meadowy herb. It’s dry on the palate with medium-plus body and very fine, softish, well-integrated tannins that are deftly balanced by acidity. Richly fruited and intense in the mouth, the long-lasting flavors include tangy red and black cherry, red vine, spice, orange peel, and toasted wood. Compared to the Diamond Mountain wine, this one is tangier with more red fruit and herb. Drink over the next 15 years.

2014 En Garde Cabernet Sauvignon Sori Bricco Vineyard, Diamond Mountain, Napa Valley 92 15.5% 750ml $90

The nose on this deep, purple wine is dense blackberry, black cherry, dark spice, oak, and dry forest floor. The flavors are very intense and focused with chewy black currant, black cherry and spice, dark mineral. Body is a sinewy medium-plus with plenty of fine grained, softly chalky texture which effectively frames the fruit. The finish is very long, juicy and a bit warm. This wine’s got gravitas (and gravel)—a darker, more brooding, and more structured Cabernet than the Howell Mountain. Best 2022-2030

2014 En Garde Cabernet Sauvignon Le Bijou du Roi Reserve Sori Bricco Vineyard, Diamond Mountain 93+ 15.8% 750ml $120

This reserve wine from the Sori Bricco vineyard is more intense, riper, and more flamboyantly fruited than the standard release. Aromas of ripe black cherry, blackberry, black currant, prune, spice, oak, and dried orange peel burst from the glass. The extremely long, warming palate is all about tangy black cherry, black currant, spice, and chocolate, extended by gentle waves of acidity. Structure comes from fine, soft, mouth-coating tannins. Includes a dab of Cabernet Franc. Drink now – 2035

2014 En Garde Cabernet Sauvignon Touché Reserve Napa Valley 94+ 15.4% 750ml $180

Touché is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon from En Garde’s Howell Mountain, Diamond Mountain, and Mount Veeder vineyards. It shows plenty of ripe dark fruit on the nose—cherries, prunes, and berries— along with tangy herb and spice which give it a slight, Barolo Chinato accent. The delicious palate is dry and full-bodied with very fine, soft, mouth coating texture and bouncy acidity. Flavors match the nose, weaving in and out, with great intensity and no heaviness. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2030.

My previous coverage of En Garde

Two En Garde Winery Red Wines Reviewed September 2016

Cabernet Shootout Highlights and the 2013 Cabernet Challenge January 2013 (old site, loads slowly)

Copyright Fred Swan 2019. Images courtesy of En Garde. All rights reserved.