Trefethen Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 (1.5L Magnum)

A husband and wife operation– Janet & John Trefethen have been at it in Oak Knoll since 1973 when they restored the original Trefethen winery first established in 1886. This wasn’t some fluke winery winning ‘Best in Show’. Trefethen is iconic in the Napa Valley as one of the largest estate wineries as well as the only wooden gravity-flow winery in the entire region.

The wines that come from this unique wooden gravity-flow winery are truly special. They’re full-bodied, fresh and incredibly expressive yet perfectly integrated and balanced, no doubt the result of a winemaking facility unlike any other and a team of winemakers that know exactly how to handle each vintage.

The 2017 Cabernet is a complete show-stopper, a dark and brooding Cabernet that manages to outshine and outpoint just about every other wine made in the vintage. Wild aromas of black cherry, plum, lavender and chocolate with smooth, lengthy tannins, great weight and a lot of personality.

“One of the compelling reasons for the ‘nesting’ of Napa’s AVAs is to prove just how different the Valley’s sub-districts can be, something that this wine from Oak Knoll makes admirably clear. The wine is a dark opaque black, but it’s soft, respiring resins and calmly ordered fruits alert the drinker from the aromatic profile alone that the wine has nothing monstrous or disproportionate about it. It’s ripe but supple and graceful, with as much juicy acidity as textured tannins: drinkable, accessible and fresh. The Napa hallmark of opulence is there in the succulent grain of the fruit, but in every other respect this is deft, finely judged midweight.” -Decanter