The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon is based on a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot that spent 22 months in 81% new French oak. It’s a wonderfully complete, borderline perfect wine that shows the class of this estate as well as the vintage, revealing a seamless, full-bodied style that carries lots of blackcurrant, graphite, lead pencil, and tobacco aromatics, a deep, layered mid-palate, ultra-fine tannins, and flawless balance. As with most of Chris’s 2018s, it’s a wine that builds slowly with time in the glass, offering a layered, singular character. It’s a gorgeous 2018 that can be drunk today with ample pleasure, but it will ideally be given 4-6 years of bottle age, at which point it should evolve gracefully for 30-40 years.

“The Cab Franc was quite spectacular in 2017. There is a bit more in the blend this year,” Pierre Seillan told me during the tasting of the 2017s with his daughter and one day successor, Helene. A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot, the 2017 La Joie has a very deep garnet-purple color. It opens a little closed and broody, giving glimpses of blackcurrant cordial, espresso, charcoal and black truffles to begin, before blossoming out to a whole array of preserved black and blue fruits, dusty soil, crushed rocks and iron ore scents plus a waft of roses. The medium to full-bodied palate is built like a brick house, with firm, grainy tannins and a lively backbone supporting the muscular fruit, finishing very long and mineral laced. The alcohol weighed in at just 13.9% this year (14% on the label), making for a particularly elegant but no less impactful La Joie!

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018Lastly, the 2017 Le Desir is 80% Cabernet Franc, with the balance mostly Merlot mixed with a splash of Malbec. It has a wonderful Cabernet Franc floral character as well as awesome black raspberry, cedarwood, forest floor, violets, rose petals, new leather, and who knows what else. Incredibly complex, it takes lots of air to show at its best and is medium to full-bodied, has a bright spine of acidity, fabulous tannins, and a great, great finish. The elegance of this wine paired with its richness and depth is something to behold. It’s another damn near perfect wine from this estate, and to see this quality from a challenging vintage like 2017 boggles the mind. Hats off to the father-daughter team of Pierre and Hélène Seillan.

The 2017s From Sonoma Another gem that’s going to flirt with perfection in a decade is the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Rockfall Vineyard. Based on 100% Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon aged 20 months in 65% new French oak, its deep purple color is followed by a mammoth-sized bouquet of crème de cassis, lead pencil shavings, scorched earth, and graphite. Showing more spice and tobacco with time in the glass, it has incredible purity of fruit, building tannins, and flawless balance, all making for a majestic Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon that will keep for 30 years or more.

Very deep garnet-purple colored, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain gives up wonderfully expressive crème de cassis, licorice, tar and underbrush notes with hints of charcuterie and bay leaves. Big, rich, full and opulent in the mouth, it has firm, velvety tannins and seamless freshness, finishing very long with spice nuances coming through.

The famous Bosché Vineyard is a spot in Rutherford composed of gravelly, loamy soil and situated just at the base of the Mayacamas Mountains. A blend of 93.8% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6.2% Merlot, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Bosché Vineyard was aged 28 months in French oak. This vineyard has turned out many a classic wine capable of lasting 30-40 years, and this 2013 is one of the all-time great Bosché Cabernet Sauvignons. It offers an inky ruby/purple color, a gorgeous nose of graphite, black cherry, wood spice and barbecue notes, enormous body and richness, and a heady, full-bodied, long finish of 50+ seconds with moderately high tannins. This is a great classic from Napa, but not one for drinking over the near-term. Give it 7-8 years of bottle age and drink it over the following 50 years.

Planted in '87 in Gladysdale at 400m. This vineyard gets picked a full month after Tarraford and Sexton! This is the third and best wine Giant Steps has made from this cool site. A very bright green gold. Penetrating aromas of crushed rock, nashi pear, ruby grapefruit and orange blossom. It's pure and precise on the palate, with a saline acid line giving the wine structure and length. A special wine that will age effortlessly over the next decade.

This clonal selection stands out ever so slightly above the lineup of always meticulously crafted yet hedonistically delicious wines by Greg Brewer. The nose's potent Bing cherry drive cruises above flashes of wet slate and uplifting baking spice. The acid-powered palate is utterly expressive in bright, burstingly ripe red fruit that's offset by a background hint of mossy earth, proving hard not to swallow even in the morning

This wine is soaked in sunshine. Red fruits on the nose convey red plum, Bing cherry, sage, dried brush, and clove. Light barrel toast allows the fruit to shine. The palate is fresh with orchard fruit, strawberry, raspberry, watermelon radish, orange zest, hibiscus, chicory, and supple, silky tannins on the finish. Drink now or cellar until 2038.

So seductive and perfumed, showing endless charm and poise. Aromas of wild red berries, rose petals, sea spray, fresh herbs, hibiscus and violets. The seamlessly integrated palate has no hard edges, carried by bright acidity and a rounded mouthfeel with a silken, ethereal texture. Pure class of the highest order, combining vivid, fresh fruit with a savory, floral edge. Excellent. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

Looking to the 2022 La Joie, it pours a deeper youthful red/purple hue and leads
with appealing layers of graphite, kirsch, blackcurrants, cedar, and floral
perfume. Full-bodied, with plush, even tannins, it has an approachable, velvety
structure and terrific levity. A charming wine to enjoy now or over the coming
20 years, the blend is 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, 7% Merlot,
and 6% Petit Verdot.

Pouring a slightly deeper bright yellow hue, the 2023 Chardonnay Upper Barn Vineyard comes from AXR1 rootstock, and there is absolutely nothing about this vineyard that feels in decline. Dark flinty reduction gives the wine incredible dimension and complexity, though in a more refined and less obvious way than some past vintages. Lime candy, green apple, saline minerality, and driving acidity frame the silky richness. This is highly complex and built for the cellar. Drink 2027-2040.

A coating inky red hue, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Christopher’s Vineyard leads with sanguine iron notes alongside menthol, black cherries, cedar, tobacco, and blood orange, as well as a hint of red roses. Full-bodied, it has refined tannins, saline minerality, and a long, mouthwatering finish. Drink 2027-2050.

So concentrated, creamy and elegant, it
sits like a Sauternes (without the sugar)
with such great viscosity, length and a
touch of flinty restraint. Made from the
Hyde chardonnay clone, which accounts
for the creaminess and depth. Lemon
curd and poached pear flavors, a full
body and an ethereal texture. Drink
now or hold.

A lovely, honey- and almond-scented
wine that’s rich in lemon curd and
pineapple flavors on a supple but vivid
and lively texture. So layered and
creamy yet balanced to a T. Elegant,
concentrated and long in the finish. A
memorable bottle. Drink or hold.

Sycamore Vineyard is an 8.9ha site positioned at the base of the Mayacamas Mountains on very shallow, gravelly clay loam soils. The vines struggle here, a characteristic that reliably translates into wines marked by dried herb and savoury complexity. Aged for 19 months in 63% new French oak, the 2023 is remarkably fresh and inviting, delivering dazzling concentration across the palate. Before that intensity fully asserts itself, the aromatics unfurl with sumptuous, forest-infused spice of bay laurel, bay leaf, redwood and cedarwood. On the palate, the wine is captivating and full-flavoured, layered with graphite and salted dark chocolate, deeply rocky and earthy, establishing a superb mineral foundation for all this pristine, juicy dark fruit to wash over the palate. Extended cellaring will reward those patient enough to wait.

The idea behind this wine is that it is a mountain wine made for restaurants, and to that end, Chris Carpenter sources Cabernet Sauvignon from Mount Veeder. Building in the glass with youthful aromatics of ripe black and blue fruit layered with graphite and pressed wildflowers, underpinned by dark loamy earth, bright baking spice, and violet nuances. The tannins are velvety and iron-laced, yet noticeably softer in profile than those of the Lakoya Wines, carrying a cocoa-powder freshness and an ease that favours elegance over sheer mass. That elegance, or freshness factor, and approachable tannin make this a compelling wine for restaurant by-the-bottle programmes.

Since 1995, Lokoya has produced Cabernet Sauvignon from its Veeder Peak Estate, perched at 548 metres along the rugged western ridges of the Mayacamas Mountains. In 2023, the wine is a true shape-shifter. Effusive floral aromatics and generous red fruit initially suggest grace and delicacy. Yet beneath the surface lies formidable power. Soaring, iron-laced tannins build gradually before gripping the palate from every angle, multidimensional and intense, clearly benefiting from a proper decant. There's a Hugh Jackman quality about this, rugged and powerful, like the actor, yet graceful and lifted like Jackman's voice, delivering gravitas, yet able to hit all the high notes in the song, starting with heady, high-toned dark black fruit, ironstone minerality, and baritone tobacco nuances. The tannins are positively powerful, chewy and grippy, and the wine is deeply concentrated, full-bodied, yet somehow fresh, elevated, and energised.

The Diamond Mountain wine is highly approachable at this stage, sourced from a slightly warmer site and offering a seductive profile of dark chocolate-covered cherry, a touch of muscovado richness, bay laurel, and blue-fruited tones, with cassis and a subtle tobacco nuance. Full-bodied and expansive, it is framed by super-suave, velvety tannins that build through the generous, lingering finish, delivering both immediate appeal and satisfying depth.

There is so much refinement in this wine in 2023. It retains its characteristic power and intensity, yet the tannins are of such immense quality and precision that they gently support and glide the succulent dark fruit across the palate. Throughout, a deep ironstone mineral character shines clearly. On the back end, that expressiveness evolves into notes of loamy earth and wet slate, fuelled by a mix of dark berry fruit and finishing with a distinctly salted stone character that is wholly characteristic of this wine. Winemaker Chris Carpenter explains that La Jota’s wines tend to offer more generous, approachable tannins – making them ideal for restaurant lists. That accessibility, he notes, comes down to thoughtful decisions around clone, rootstock, and site selection (some of the vineyard blocks naturally yield softer, more inviting tannins, as opposed to dense, palate-etching structures; he seeks Cabernet Sauvignon expressions that are powerful and present, yet have a gentler texture). This blend was aged for 22 months in 73% new French oak.

Remarkably fresh and inviting, delivering dazzling concentration across the palate. Before that intensity fully asserts itself, the aromatics unfurl with sumptuous, forest-infused spice of bay laurel, redwood and cedar. A captivating, layered palate shows graphite and salted dark chocolate, deeply rocky and earthy, establishing a superb mineral foundation for all this pristine, juicy dark fruit to wash over.

The incredible 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Horse Heaven Hills is from the Phinney and
Andrews vineyards, Andrews contributing massive tannins, while Phinney offers more
aroma and flavor. This is a great wine, lovely in rich red cherry-berry flavor with fluffy
tannins and Goldilocks herbaceousness. Medium to full-bodied, it holds its power well,
leading to a long finish of oak spice and more dried herb. Hold and drink 2028–2038.

From a site near Staglin on the western side of Rutherford that gets lots of afternoon shade, the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Sycamore Vineyard is based on 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot, and 2% Cabernet Franc and aged 19 months in 63% new French oak. First made in 1982, this cuvée offers ripe blue and black fruits intermixed with cedarwood, California bay, violets, and graphite, and it's another concentrated, medium to full-bodied, sensationally pure 2023 from winemaker Kristy Melton. It deserves 4-5 years if you can wait and is another 30-year wine in the lineup. There are 1,132 cases produced. Drink 2028-2055.

Based on 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Merlot aged 19 months in 65% new French oak,
the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Bosché Vineyard comes from a site on the western
benchlands in Rutherford behind Grgich Hills. It's inky purple-hued and offers a brilliant
perfume of ripe blue fruits, crushed stone, freshly sharpened pencil, and cassis. This
powerful, full-bodied, incredibly pure 2023 has building tannins and a great finish. It will be
a 30+ year wine and is up there with the crème de la crème of the vintage. Hide bottles for
4-6 years if you can. There are roughly 1,258 cases produced. Drink 2029-205

Another serious, structured wine, the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder reveals black and blue fruits, sappy herbs, violets, flowers, and graphite. Based on 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and aged in 75% new oak, it's full-bodied, with a pure, focused mouthfeel, lots of tannins, and a seriously long finish. It has everything you'd expect from a brilliant mountain wine. There are 846 cases produced. Hide bottles for 7-8 years, and it will keep for 50 years. Drink 2032-2075.