92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Malbec, 2% Petite Sirah, 1% Petit Verdot, 1% Syrah

Food pairings: Braised lamb shank, grilled steaks and other red meats, rich pasta dishes and aged cheeses.

Winemaking: The Volcanic Estate Cabernet is the signature wine of Obsidian Ridge Vineyard. Its many blocks are harvested over three weeks in dozens of separate lots, each vinified individually before the final blend is assembled, with short fermentations of 8 to 10 days to avoid over-extracting the skins. The wine is aged 15 months exclusively in barrels from the family's own Kádár cooperage in Tokaj, Hungary (40% new). Made from slow-grown, super-tight-grained Hungarian oak and toasted slowly at low temperatures, these barrels are low in vanillin and tend to emphasize herbal and spice notes rather than overt toast.

Vineyards and terroir: Obsidian Ridge Vineyard sits on a volcanic flow at the northern tip of the Mayacamas Range in the Red Hills of Lake County, half a mile above sea level, on red volcanic soils shot through with black obsidian glass. Low humidity, cold nights and stronger ultraviolet light at altitude produce small, thick-skinned grapes with dark color and intense flavors. The vineyard spans three elevation zones: the steep, rocky upper blocks sit above the inversion layer and ripen about a month earlier, giving power and structure, while the cooler lower blocks bring aromatics and acidity and the sheltered middle enjoys the longest hang time. The vineyard is Certified California Sustainable.

Family and history: In 1973 Nicholas Molnar planted Poseidon Vineyard in Napa Carneros. His sons Peter and Arpad Molnar, who went on to own the Kádár cooperage in Hungary's Tokaj region, teamed up with winemaker Michael Terrien and in 1998 discovered an abandoned walnut orchard high in the Mayacamas Mountains of Lake County. They planted it from 1999, soon realizing they were farming on a ridge of solid black obsidian, and made their first 98 cases of Obsidian Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon in 2002. Today winemaker Alex Beloz crafts the wines, and the company welcomes visitors at its Base Camp tasting room just off the Sonoma Plaza.

In the pictures: The Obsidian Wine Co. founders on the obsidian boulders of Obsidian Ridge (courtesy of Obsidian Wine Co.); young vines at Obsidian Ridge Vineyard (courtesy of Obsidian Wine Co.); and the Obsidian Base Camp tasting room in Sonoma (courtesy of Obsidian Wine Co.).