98pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

From a relatively large vineyard (60 planted acres, selling to multiple wineries) overlooking Lake Hennessy, Adversity's 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Sage Ridge Vineyard is another star in the making. Complex aromas of licorice, dark loam, sage, cassis and black cherries mark the nose, while the full-bodied palate is rich and intense but balanced—not overdone and not overripe—finishing long and velvety.

Adversity Cellars is the husband-and-wife label of Russell and Heidi Bevan. Sourcing fruit from some of the same vineyards he taps for his other labels, Bevan has turned out a bevy of high-quality wines. For those unfamiliar with Bevan's winemaking style, these are rich, full-throttle red wines made from vineyards chosen/managed for lower-than-average yields, picked at high levels of ripeness, fermented using a yeast strain originally isolated from Williams Selyem and aged in high proportions of new French oak—Taransaud and Darnajou for the Bordeaux varieties. Somehow, despite pushing the various elements to the max, the wines emerge with a delicious sense of harmony and balance.

96pts Jeb Dunnuck

The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Sage Ridge Vineyard is another beauty from Russell Bevans. Darker fruits, chocolate, wild sage, and bouquet garni all emerge on the nose, and it’s full-bodied, round, supple, and mouth-filling while holding onto a notable sense of elegance.

Winery Notes

Russell Bevan's passion for wine dates back to his days in highschool. Everything he has done in life up to this point in time has pushed him to become the winemaker he is today. To date, he has crafted double digit hundred point wines but is excited to embrace the challenge of crafting wines from these dynamic sites that force the vines to deal with so much Adversity. 

Winemaker : Russel Bevan