Leviathan is what happens when renowned winemaker Andy Erickson gets all of Northern California to work with. Rather than build Cabernet around a single appellation, Erickson created Leviathan to draw from exceptional sites across the state. The idea is simple but ambitious: search widely, select ruthlessly, then bring those pieces together into one focused expression of California Cabernet Sauvignon. That freedom only works when the person doing the selecting knows exactly what he’s looking for. Erickson brings more than 30 harvests of experience to Leviathan, backed by longstanding grower relationships and a vineyard network built around intensity, structure and balance. It gives him an unusually broad palette. And 2023 gave Erickson plenty to work with. A long, cool growing season extended hang time and allowed Leviathan’s higher-elevation vineyards to reach full phenolic maturity. The final blend is 81% Cabernet, joined by Petite Sirah, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, with each lot fermented separately before blending and the wine aged for 22 months in oak. For $38, Leviathan packs an awful lot of pedigree and serious winemaking into one bottle.