2021 Spottswoode - Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (750ml)

Spottswoode's Victorian estate on the western edge of St. Helena was established in 1882 by George Schonewald, and the property was later named for Mrs. Albert Spotts, whose family owned it for decades. In 1972, Mary Weber Novak and her husband, Dr. Jack Novak, purchased the estate, and after Jack's unexpected death, Mary carried their shared dream forward, releasing the first Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon in 1982, exactly a century after the property's founding. Now led by Mary's daughters, Spottswoode was among the first Napa wineries to farm organically, beginning in 1985, and has since become certified biodynamic, regenerative organic, and B Corp.

This Cabernet Sauvignon comes from the 42-acre Spottswoode Estate Vineyard, situated where alluvial clay loam soils provide excellent drainage and cooling maritime breezes from a gap in the Mayacamas Range moderate the valley heat. The 2021 blend is predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon rounded out with small portions of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, aged twenty months in barrels that are mostly new French oak with a touch of Hungarian wood, a process built to develop depth while preserving freshness.

The wine opens with vivid aromas of violet and cassis accented by crushed stone and pencil shavings. On the palate, it is medium bodied yet richly layered, with firm, silky tannins and lively acidity carrying through to a long, elegant finish. This Cabernet is well suited to a juniper-crusted venison loin, a wild mushroom tart, or a wedge of aged Manchego.