$185/bottle under the original label
On offer today is the flagship 2019 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from the sister winery to Lot 300 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. The largest portion of this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from the families hillside St. Helena Estate property, the remainder from contracted ultra-premium Rutherford fruit. The no-expense-spared production includes 60% new French oak and a corresponding price tag just south of $200/bottle.
The winery bottled their portion and sold us the rest of the blend out of the tank so we have the exact same 100% Cabernet Sauvignon blend as the original bottling.
However, there are just a couple hundred cases on offer today. Not $200, but just $39/bottle.
Deep ruby in the glass. The bouquet is so redolent with blueberry jam, ripe blackberry and beautifully-integrated chocolatey new oak you can practically taste it. With air, raspberry candy, red rock and cassis-driven florals complex the bouquet, but the lush umami of the chocolatey oak embracing the fruit really steals the show. Wonderfully complex, the bouquet itself is worth the price of entry and hints at things to come. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied yet supple and expressive on entry with ripe, chewy tannins carrying gobs of black and blue fruit, toffee and chocolate in an epic finish that resonates with fruit and oak for a good minute or two. Still pretty wound up but very well-balanced with huge length, this classic Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a terrific example of the stellar 2019 vintage in Napa Valley. It will drink well now and into the future!
100% Cabernet Sauvignon, a blend of mostly St Helena estate Cabernet Sauvignon with a portion of the blend from Rutherford Cabernet.
60% new French oak
15.3% alcohol
