When winemaker Natalie Winkler left Napa Cabernet star Salvestrin Winery to start a new project, I was a little surprised. She’d had a good run there from 2017 through 2023 and, along with Rich Salvestrin and his family, had helped to improve quality, particularly with the Cabernet Sauvignon from Salvestrin’s holdings in the historic Dr. Crane Vineyard. (Their 2018 Salvestrin Dr. Crane Vineyard Cabernet earned a classic rating and a spot among Wine Spectator’s 2021 Top 10 Wines of the Year.)
When Winkler told us where she was going, we were even more surprised: Michel-Schlumberger in Sonoma’s Dry Creek Valley. Wine Spectator senior editor James Molesworth visits the estate for a look at the major vineyard revamp underway and for a 2024 Michel-Schlumberger Dry Creek Valley Cabernet barrel tasting.
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