FIFTEEN HUNDRED FEET up Oak Mountain, Cabernet Sauvignon vines hug the sides of a track so steep and sharply curved that the vineyard manager’s four-wheel drive groans with each shift of gears. The early morning air is cool and clear, affording stunning views of neighboring ridges to the west and of the Russian River, coiled ribbon-like on the quilt of the valley below. This is Standing Bear Vineyard on Ridgeline’s remote 409-acre property in the prestigious Alexander Valley appellation of California’s Sonoma County. Named for a 30-foot granite outcropping that resembles a grizzly bear, the 11-acre parcel is one of six vineyards producing Bordeaux grapes that translate into superbly structured Cabernet Sauvignon.
