If you are looking for a wine splurge for the holidays, California Cabernet Sauvignon is a great place to start. The following recommendations are the best California Cabernet Sauvignon wines I tasted this year. They are exemplary representations of why Napa Cab is internationally sought after. I have listed recommended wines in order of my preference but you really can’t go wrong with any of these.
2018 Cardinale ($325). Established in 1982, Cardinale follows a mission to produce a distinctive Cabernet Sauvignon that expresses the essence of Napa Valley each vintage. Long-time winemaker, Christopher Carpenter sources grapes from top vineyards in many of the sub-appellations in the valley, with an emphasis on mountain-grown sources. Each vineyard brings its own personality and flavor contributions to create a singular manifestation of the vintage. Cardinale epitomizes the craft of blending to create a wine whose whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
The 2018 melds grapes from seven appellations with Spring Mountain and Howell Mountain forming the core and Diamond Mountain District, Mount Veeder, St. Helena, and Stags Leap District filling out the quilt. With the intensity and age-worthy tannins of mostly mountain-grown cabernet and rich character of lower elevation fruit (including 10% merlot) layered complexity with brilliant black and blue fruit, minerality, and a securing structure are the hallmarks of this masterpiece. It is emblematic of Cardinale as an expression of grace, subtly, and power.
2018 Larkmead “Solari” ($200). The historic Larkmead estate in the Calistoga appellation is one of the oldest family-owned wineries in Napa Valley. Founded in 1895, current proprietors Cam Baker and Kate Solari Baker (whose family has owned the property since 1948) have elevated this legendary valley floor vineyard to a level where cabernet sauvignon grapes, ripen beautifully in the well-drained alluvial, gravelly soils (with clay and loam).
Winemaker Avery Heelan captures the nuance and complexity of this site that is more typical of a hillside than the valley floor by vinifying small lots according to clonal selection and soil type. The result is an intensely flavored, broad, full 100% cabernet sauvignon with ripe black currant, red berries, savory and herbal notes all pulled together with a solid backbone.
2018 Cliff Lede “Magic Nights” Rock Block Series ($110). Lede Family Wines was founded in 2002 in the Stags Leap District, an area prized for its volcanic soils from ancient volcanic eruptions and erosion of the nearby Vaca Mountains, mixed with loam and clay sediments from the Napa River. Cliff Lede’s love of music permeates the winery and its wines, particularly the Rock Block Series, special estate vineyard blocks named for Mr. Lede’s favorite songs.
The name of this blend (92% cabernet sauvignon, 5% petit verdot and 3% merlot) is derived from The Who’s “Magic Bus” (block located in the estate’s esteemed Poetry vineyard) and from The Moody Blues’ “Nights in White Satin” (block located in the Twin Peaks vineyard). Winemaker Christopher Tynan ensures that these sources merge to form a wine of grace and power, structure and luxurious ripeness, with concentrated dark fruit and enticing savory notes.
2018 Mt. Brave Mount Veeder ($100). Mt. Brave was established in 2007 with the purchase of property that previously was known as Chateau Potelle. Located on the western ridges of the Mayacamas Mountains in the Mt. Veeder appellation, the name is a tribute to the original inhabitants of the area, the Wappo tribe, known as “the brave ones”.
This wine is 88% cabernet sauvignon, 6.5% cabernet franc, 3% merlot, 1.5% petit verdot and 1% malbec. It delivers vibrant black, blue and red fruits, and herbal, floral and spice notes with a sense of mineral. Firm yet refined tannins balance bold fruit and a dense structure balances an oaky lushness.
2018 Nickel & Nickel “State Ranch” ($125). Established by the partners of Far Niente, Nickel & Nickel is based on a philosophy of producing 100% varietal, single-vineyard wines that best express the distinct personality of each vineyard.
State Ranch is located northeast of the town of Yountville. Winemaker Joe Harden has coaxed its attributes – rocky, clay loam soil and excellent drainage – into a wine with typically ample fruit and velvety tannins. It is a powerful, plush wine teeming with [dark berries, cassis, chocolate, and herbal and spice accents all delivered in a firm yet velvety frame.
2018 Aperture Cellars Alexander Valley ($70). Founded in 2009 in Sonoma County by winemaker Jesse Katz with his father, world famous photographer Andy Katz, Aperture’s main focus is on Bordeaux varieties. From the “Soil Series”, this wine reflects Mr. Katz’s winemaking approach to coax the energy of the soil as translated into the grapes to shine through his wines.
This wine is a blend of 86% cabernet sauvignon, 7% malbec, 5% merlot and 2% petit Verdot. It is refined and rich with concentrated currant and blackberry, hints of herbs and tobacco, and a glossy texture, all showing power and freshness.
2018 Priest Ranch “Snake Oil” ($110). The original Priest Ranch estate was established in 1869 by James Joshua Priest, a Gold Rush prospector. In 2004, three families purchased this historic property, as part of the larger Somerston Estate. Located high on the eastern hill of the Vaca Mountains near Lake Hennessey east of Pritchard Hill above St. Helena, the estate’s varied range in elevations, exposures, soils, and microclimates allow Winemaker and Co-founder Craig Becker to create wines that showcase distinct expressions of each terroir.
With Snake Oil, Mr. Becker skillfully blended multiple blocks of old vine cabernet sauvignon to shape a full-bodied, unctuous wine of dark fruits, accentuated with touches of earth, and tobacco.
2018 Spottswoode Lyndenhurst ($85). Spottswoode Winery, another family-owned producer five miles southeast of Larkmead is widely regarded as among Napa Valley’s elite. The estate was founded in the 1880s but the winery was established by Mary Weber Novak in 1982. Spottswoode is a leader in sustainable farming and business practices. Now Mary’s daughters, Beth and Lindy, and Aron Weinkauf, winemaker and vineyard manager, steward this special property.
While Spottswoode’s Estate Cabernet Sauvignon typically is among the valley’s best each vintage, Lyndenhurst is the estate’s second wine, with about half of its fruit from the estate vineyard and the rest from trusted growers. It’s bold mixed berry fruit, herbal complexities, fine energy and lush texture is impressive in its own right. And at less than half the price of the first wine, it is a fine value.
2018 Faust “The Pact” ($125). This wine is 100% cabernet sauvignon from Faust’s estate vineyard in Coombsville, Napa Valley’s furthest south appellation. Its proximity to San Pablo Bay (grapes benefit from a long, cool growing season) and the Vaca Mountains (soils laced with ancient volcanic ash and silt) create the conditions for excellence.
Add careful selection from the premier blocks of the vineyard by Winemaker David Jelinek and you get The Pact. The 2018 opens with fresh aromas of black cherries, black currants and blueberries with minerals, tobacco, and cocoa notes riding on a silky yet bright frame.
2017 Sullivan “Coeur de Vigne” ($90). While this property in the heart of the Napa Valley has had a storied history, it notably became the highly respected Sullivan Rutherford Estate in the 1970’s, with vineyard planting guided by the legendary Rutherford winemaker Andre Tchelistcheff. A family partnership led by Juan Pablo Torres Padilla acquired the property in 2018 and set about elevating the vineyards and the wines.
Winemaker Jeff Cole succeeds at that goal with 75% cabernet sauvignon, 22% merlot and 3% malbec. The wine delivers concentrated cherry, plum and cassis, with earth and tobacco notes and a pleasantly dense texture.