Desire Lines Massa Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2023
The Land
Massa Vineyard is a remote, high-elevation site on the northern edge of the Ventana Wilderness in Carmel Valley. First planted in 1967 and home to own-rooted Cabernet Sauvignon since 1971, the vineyard sits on the Cachagua Fault in rare granodiorite and metasedimentary soils—granitic rock displaced from the southern Sierra Nevada by tectonic movement. Cooled by marine air and sustained by underground springs, the vines are dry-farmed and have been organically cultivated for nearly thirty years. The 2023 vintage may mark the vineyard’s final year of production, making this wine a closing chapter from one of the Central Coast’s most distinctive sites.
The Wine
The 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon from Block 13 is lifted and composed, with black and red berry fruit, pine, green coffee bean, and a subtle citrus note that’s become a marker of this site. The palate is pure and finely textured, with supple tannins, bright acidity, and delicate fully ripe fruit flavors from the own-rooted vines. A mineral thread from the granitic soils gives the wine definition and length. It’s a focused expression—structured and balanced. This is not a bombastic expression of California Cabernet Sauvignon but rather an expression of mountain fruit that has a lifted style that keeps you coming back for more.
The People
Cody and Emily Rasmussen of Desire Lines Wine Co. work with vineyards that carry both history and identity, and Massa has been one of their most meaningful sites. With its old vines, geologic rarity, and deep Carmel Valley roots, it offered a chance to capture something singular. Cody’s restrained winemaking lets the site speak clearly. If 2023 is indeed the final vintage, this wine stands as a precise, honest record of a vineyard with more story behind it than most, and fewer vintages ahead.
Food Pairing:
Boeuf Bourguignon (Julia Child’s classic recipe).
This slow-cooked French dish brings depth, umami, and layered aromatics that pair beautifully with the wine’s balance and clarity. The Cabernet’s red fruit and mineral backbone cut through the richness of the beef and bacon, while its herbal and citrus notes echo the dish’s thyme, bay, and wine-braised aromatics. A winter-perfect match.
.
Original: $33.00
-70%$33.00
$9.90
Description
The Land
Massa Vineyard is a remote, high-elevation site on the northern edge of the Ventana Wilderness in Carmel Valley. First planted in 1967 and home to own-rooted Cabernet Sauvignon since 1971, the vineyard sits on the Cachagua Fault in rare granodiorite and metasedimentary soils—granitic rock displaced from the southern Sierra Nevada by tectonic movement. Cooled by marine air and sustained by underground springs, the vines are dry-farmed and have been organically cultivated for nearly thirty years. The 2023 vintage may mark the vineyard’s final year of production, making this wine a closing chapter from one of the Central Coast’s most distinctive sites.
The Wine
The 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon from Block 13 is lifted and composed, with black and red berry fruit, pine, green coffee bean, and a subtle citrus note that’s become a marker of this site. The palate is pure and finely textured, with supple tannins, bright acidity, and delicate fully ripe fruit flavors from the own-rooted vines. A mineral thread from the granitic soils gives the wine definition and length. It’s a focused expression—structured and balanced. This is not a bombastic expression of California Cabernet Sauvignon but rather an expression of mountain fruit that has a lifted style that keeps you coming back for more.
The People
Cody and Emily Rasmussen of Desire Lines Wine Co. work with vineyards that carry both history and identity, and Massa has been one of their most meaningful sites. With its old vines, geologic rarity, and deep Carmel Valley roots, it offered a chance to capture something singular. Cody’s restrained winemaking lets the site speak clearly. If 2023 is indeed the final vintage, this wine stands as a precise, honest record of a vineyard with more story behind it than most, and fewer vintages ahead.
Food Pairing:
Boeuf Bourguignon (Julia Child’s classic recipe).
This slow-cooked French dish brings depth, umami, and layered aromatics that pair beautifully with the wine’s balance and clarity. The Cabernet’s red fruit and mineral backbone cut through the richness of the beef and bacon, while its herbal and citrus notes echo the dish’s thyme, bay, and wine-braised aromatics. A winter-perfect match.
.
