Under-NDA ⚡ PRIME Oakville Cabernet

The price: $200 per bottle.

The wine: one of the most famous Cabernet/Cab Franc blends in Napa Valley.

The estate: an icon, located on the low slopes of Howell Mountain.

And the winemaker is a friend-of-a-friend who, in the spectacular 2021 season, went with the zeitgeist and upped the proportion of Cabernet Franc in his proprietary redand crafted one of the finest bottles of his career.

That move freed up six barrels of PRIME Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon.

Were not talking any old Napa Valley Cabernet. Were not even talking your average Oakville Cabernet. This is A-grade juice, grown near the intersection of Silverado Trail and Oakville Crossroad, that one minute was bound for a big-money blend. The next, we were tasting it out of barrel, checkbook in hand.

Heres how one of Napa Valleys greatest proprietary reds is assembled.

First, the estate meticulously grows, harvests, sorts, and judges the fruit from their 50 acres. Their Cabernet Franc is top-notch, always has been, ever since before most US wine lovers had even heard of the grape. Ditto their estate-raised Cabernet Sauvignon, which boasts the sturdy backbone that typifies Howell Mountains ageless icons.

With those two pieces in place, they start looking outward. With the red fruit and herbaceousness delivered by their own Franc, with the black-fruited sturdiness supplied by their own Cabernet, they rely on sources on the Valley floor to supply supple, warm-fruited Cabernet Sauvignon to round out the blend. And they dont look just anywhere.

One of their most reliable sites sits at the nexus of Oakville Cross and Silverado Trail, near Tench, Screaming Eagle, Rudd, Tierra Roja, and other great sites. This is Cabernets promised land, and by the grace of the winemaking gods, from it were delivered six barrels into our waiting hands. We were happy to take it from there.

Medium ruby in appearance with a concentrated core, this wine has bright, lifted aromas of fresh mixed berries, fresh blackcurrants, cigar box, rose petals, blueberries, black Assam tea, vanilla, and toast. Its balanced and bold on the palate, with juicy acidity and ripe, long tannins integrated nicely with flavors of fresh black plums, black cherries, wild sage, graphite, fresh coffee, dark berries, and wild fennel. Have a glass alongside a roasted lamb shank, fresh cheddar cheese, or just put your feet up, drink it on its own, and think about what it all might mean.

Medium ruby in appearance, with a concentrated core. Bright, lifted aromas of fresh mixed berries, fresh blackcurrants, cigar box, rose petals, blueberries, black Assam tea, vanilla, and toast. Balanced and bold on the palate, with juicy acidity and ripe, long tannins integrated nicely with flavors of fresh black plums, black cherries, wild sage, graphite, fresh coffee, dark berries, and wild fennel. Have a glass alongside a roasted lamb shank, fresh cheddar cheese, or just enjoy it on its own. Drink now2032.

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