Robert Kamen (screenwriter of The Fifth Element, The Karate Kid, and Taken) has spent decades farming one of Moon Mountain's most dramatic volcanic hillside estates. Planted over thirty years on steep, iron-rich basalt soils at elevations up to 1,450 feet, the estate produces Cabernet Sauvignon of considerable power and structure. Working with consulting winemaker Mark Herold, Kamen's wines are among the most concentrated and age-worthy on the mountain. The estate's biodynamic farming reflects a long commitment to the land over commercial ambition.
Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Moon Mountain District: the flagship, a concentrated, terroir-driven mountain Cabernet from fractured volcanic rock soils high on the Sonoma side of Mount Veeder.
Kashmir, Moon Mountain District: the tête-de-cuvée, a tiny-production Cabernet blended from the estate's very best lots, made only in exceptional vintages.
Writer's Block, Moon Mountain District: the estate red blend, led by Syrah and Petite Sirah; dark-fruited and bold.
Estate Syrah, Moon Mountain District: a peppery, intensely flavored hillside Syrah.
Estate Sauvignon Blanc, Moon Mountain District: a bright, mineral-driven white grown on the same volcanic slopes.
Kashmir is named for Kamen’s standard poodle and was first made with the 2005 vintage. The Lava Block, the estate’s rockiest slope, is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, and a small planting of Viognier lets the Syrah be fermented on Viognier skins.
The tasting room sits on the Sonoma Plaza, but everything poured here comes from Robert Mark Kamen's 280-acre estate 1,450 feet up on the Sonoma side of Mount Veeder, just 400 yards from the Napa County line. Kamen, the screenwriter behind The Karate Kid series, Taps, The Fifth Element, Taken, and The Transporter, bought the wilderness tract with his first screenplay check and enlisted viticulturist Phil Coturri to plant organically and biodynamically farmed vineyards in fractured volcanic rock. Winemaker Mark Herold has produced the wines since the early 2000s: intense, terroir-driven Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Grenache. The Plaza tasting room pours Signature Flights ($20) and Premier Flights ($35); a private Vineyard Tour + Tasting on the mountain itself ($80) is available by appointment.
