Katherine Goldschmidt house spotlight
Nick Goldschmidt is on camera on the official Goldschmidt Vineyards channel, presenting Katherine Goldschmidt Stonemason Hill Cabernet, the same vineyard and family label as this 2023.
2023 Katherine Goldschmidt Stonemason Hill Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley, USA
Nick and Katherine Goldschmidt's Stonemason Hill Cabernet, Wine Enthusiast 92, a cool 2023 you can open at twenty-two dollars.
The 2023 is 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon from Stonemason Hill at 500 feet in Alexander Valley: raspberry coulis, black plum, dark chocolate, mint, and purple flowers after modest French oak, now $22.
A father-daughter Cabernet from 1989 hillside vines, not a generic Sonoma pour
Katherine Goldschmidt is Nick's namesake label with his middle daughter. Since 2018 the fruit has come from Stonemason Hill: 500 feet, sandy and Bale loam, vines planted in 1989. Wine Enthusiast gave the 2023 92 points for luxurious, focused fruit and age-worthy tannin. James Suckling scored it 91. This is the bottle that puts the Goldschmidt family table Cabernet on your table.
The house
Nick Goldschmidt makes this wine in tandem with his daughter Katherine. The label is a family tradition, not a marketing afterthought.
The wine
100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Stonemason Hill, 500 feet, sandy and Bale loam. 14.5% ABV. Unfined and vegan. 15% new French oak.
The scores
Wine Enthusiast 92, Tom R. Capo: raspberry coulis, black plum, dark chocolate, Bing cherry, mint, cinnamon, purple flowers. James Suckling 91.
The drinker
Decant 20 to 30 minutes. Serve 60 to 64 F. Butter-basted ribeye or herb-crusted lamb.
Focused black fruit, then chocolate, mint, and flowers
Wine Enthusiast called it luxurious, with raspberry coulis, black plum compote, a fresh herb melange, and dark chocolate, then crushed Bing cherries, mint, cinnamon, and purple flowers on a richly textured finish. James Suckling found cherries, blackberries, cloves, plums, strawberry jam, vanilla, and a creamy palate with soft tannin.
A slow-ripening season with winter rain, delayed budbreak, and a late harvest. The 2023 kept acidity and tannin definition. Oak is support, 15 percent new, not a sweet glaze.
Raspberry coulis, black plum, Bing cherry, fresh herbs, dark chocolate, cloves, vanilla.
Plush and creamy, 14.5% ABV, age-worthy tannin, balancing acidity from a cool year.
Mint, cinnamon, purple flowers. Decant 20 to 30 minutes. Serve 60 to 64 F.
1989 vines, then a light French-oak hand
On the Goldschmidt 2023 sheet, Stonemason Hill sits at 500 feet on sandy and Bale loam, planted in 1989 to Jackson clone on 110R. The wine is 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, cane-pruned, 3.5 tons per acre, 14.5 percent alcohol. Elevage is 100 percent French oak, medium toast, only 15 percent new. Unfined and vegan. That is how a cool year stays transparent to the hill instead of turning into toast.
Nick and Katherine make the wine together. The site has large rocks leading up to a stone-walled terrace, which is how the hill got its name.
Serve 60 to 64 F after a short decant. The tannin is real enough to age, polite enough for dinner tonight.
A daughter's label, a stonemason's hill
Katherine Goldschmidt began as Nick's namesake Cabernet for his middle daughter, and became a close family tradition in the cellar.
Nick and Yolyn Goldschmidt settled in Healdsburg after Nick's years at Simi. Their California work is site-first Cabernet from Alexander Valley and Oakville.
The 2018 vintage marked the move to Stonemason Hill, a rocky, stone-walled terrace with mature vines. Many of those vines are now past thirty years old.
The 2023 is that family bottle in a cool year: hillside Cabernet, modest new oak, a price that lets you cook with it.
Grilled steak, then a rack of lamb
Plush fruit and soft tannin like a hard-seared ribeye. Dark chocolate and herbs also take lamb without a fight.
Two plates. One butter-basted ribeye. One herb-crusted rack of lamb. Both can take Stonemason Hill Cabernet.
Serve 60 to 64 F. Decant 20 to 30 minutes. Keep the seasoning savory.
Butter-Basted Ribeye Steak
The live pairing: a skillet ribeye, browned butter, and Stonemason Hill's plush fruit.
Why it works: Beef fat softens the 2023 tannin. Char pulls dark chocolate, plum, and herb through the modest oak.
View Recipe for butter-basted rib-eye steaks (opens in a new tab)
Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb
Lamb brings savory depth, while rosemary and herbs echo mint, cedar, and the wine's floral close.
Why it works: The Goldschmidt sheet calls for rack of lamb. Herb crust meets the 2023's fresh-herb and purple-flower side.
View Recipe for herb-crusted rack of lamb (opens in a new tab)Put this Stonemason Hill Cabernet in the cart
Wine Enthusiast 92. Father and daughter, 1989 vines. Twenty-two dollars against a $45 typical retail.
Put it in the cart. This is the Goldschmidt bottle for a weeknight steak that still wants a named hill.
