Fiancetto Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain 2019

There’s a very special ring of vineyards, just above the fog line, high atop Howell Mountain where many of Napa’s most sought-after grapes are grown. Their estate bottlings are synonymous with $200+ price tags, yet collectors scramble to gobble them up: CADE, Randy Dunn, Lokoya, Cimarossa, and Nicholas fan favorite – Bob Foley.

And it was from here that Ry Richards was able to craft a tiny lot of just 4 barrels of once-in-a-lifetime Cabernet from the stunning 2019 vintage. As Antonio Galloni reported on the vintage: “Napa Valley experienced two stunning back-to-back vintages in 2018 and 2019 the likes of which I have never seen..the 2019s I have tasted so far are fabulous.”

For context, Wine Spectator awarded the 2018 vintage a near-perfect 99 points. They’ve yet to officially weigh in on 2019 but most believe it will be even better. Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate warns to “take advantage of 2019, while it lasts”.

Of course, those $200 price tags will scare off many potential buyers, but that’s where Ry Richards comes in. Fiancetto is a decidedly no-frills operation. No tasting room rent, no staff, zero marketing budgets – just Ry and the fruit. Heck Ry doesn’t even need to pay himself. You see, Ry’s day job is at one of Napa’s iconic estates, Chappellet, where he assists Phil Titus in all aspects of sourcing and winemaking.

So while Ry’s vineyard-mate’s wine will fetch just north of $300 (deservedly so), Fiancetto will show you what the price looks like without all the overhead.