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Father’s Day Gift Guide: The Best Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons


Big, bold Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon is the preferred wine for many fathers, especially now that grilling seasons is upon us. These favorites, including allocation-only and single-vineyard varietals, represent the best of the best. Try sipping your favorite in the new Riedel Winewings glasses. The wider, bulbous base and larger in-glass surface area and aeration space optimize the concentration of aromas and flavors to the nose and palate.

“When I’ve opened a bottle for Father’s Day in the past, I see potential and optimism – potential in the wine, potential in my kiddos running around, and hopefully potential for me,” says Chateau Montelena winemaker Matt Crafton. “It straight up makes me happy and given the state of things, we all need that. I try to live in the moment as much I can but I know that I can open another bottle of Estate Cabernet 30 years from now and experience something really special. It makes me appreciate what I have now for what it is but also to looking forward to what’s ahead. I have to remind myself that fatherhood is a long game and one that should be enjoyed.” Here are our picks for the best cabernet sauvignon wines in Napa Valley to share with your father:

2017 Lail Vineyards J. Daniel Cuvée

The flagship J. Daniel Cuvée from Lail Vineyards is named after Robin Daniel Lail’s father – John Daniel Jr. – who made wine at Inglenook for more than 30 years. The 2017 vintage is sublime, with notes of smoky tobacco and wisps of lavender emerging from pools of inky blackberry. 930 cases were made from vineyards in Calistoga, Oakville and Stags Leap District and the silky tannins signal that this wine will only get better with age. The Lails enjoy J. Daniel with rack of lamb prepared by Robin’s son-in-law with fresh rosemary from Robin’s garden.

2016 Frank Family Vineyard Patriarch Cabernet Sauvignon 

Just in time for Father’s Day and Memorial Day, Patriarch is dedicated to Rich Frank’s late father and World War II veteran, Hy Frank. Hy was deployed to Normandy, landing on Omaha Beach four days after D-Day, with his wife and 10-month-old son waiting for him at home. Rich credits his father’s dedication, values and hard work for much of his success and presented the first vintage of Patriarch to his father on his 98th birthday. Only 500 cases were produced, using the best rows of vines from the Frank Family’s first vineyard, Winston Hill, in Rutherford. Moody blueberry and espresso give way to hearty toast, lavender, cassis and vanilla on the finish for a luxuriously layered cabernet that will age beautifully for decades. 

2009 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars CASK 23

It was Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars whose cabernet shockingly bested Bordeaux in the 1976 Judgment of Paris and this year marks the iconic winery’s 50th anniversary. In celebration, a wide selection of library wines has been made available online, including the 2009 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars CASK 23. This CASK 23 bottling includes the best lots from FAY and S.L.V. Vineyard with each block vinified and aged separately in French oak for 20 months before being blended to a harmonious nocturne. A melody of juicy Bing cherries is accompanied by chords of Madagascar vanilla and anise.

Throughout June, winemaker Marcus Notaro will be hosting a weekly series of Instagram Live virtual wine tastings, highlighting historic milestones and tasting through some very special vintages. The second session on June 11 will be a vertical tasting of CASK 23. There’s no need to sign up ahead of time – simply follow @stagleapwinecellars on Instagram and tune in at 7:30 pm EST every Thursday.

2013 Kelleher Family Vineyard Bari’s Cabernet Sauvignon

Only 80 cases of this cabernet sauvignon were produced, from three tenths of an acre in Oakville, making it one of the most exclusive wines on this list. These vines were planted by the Kelleher family more than a decade ago and you can view the small plot from the patio at the family’s restaurant Brix where Bari’s Cabernet Sauvignon is available by the glass. Proprietor Valerie Kelleher recommends ordering the cabernet with lamb osso bucco and farmers cheese polenta. The grapes yield a bold, plush wine with a core of black currant and huckleberry accented by dried rosemary and cedar. Bari’s is available to purchase online in three-pack and six-pack wooden boxes with 10% of proceeds from sales donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

2016 Inglenook Rubicon

Among Napa Valley’s founding wineries, Inglenook’s historic tasting room and vaulted stone cellars are a must-visit for wine lovers. Rubicon was created during the first harvest at Niebaum-Coppola in 1978 and the flagship Bordeaux-style red blend was named after Caesar’s famous crossing of a river in Northern Italy. Over the years Rubicon’s sensual complexity has come to represent the magic of “Rutherford Dust,” the full body, soft tannins and concentrated dark berry fruit that are hallmarks of the appellation. The 2016 vintage is noteworthy for its creamy vanilla and cassis and Inglenook’s chef Alex Lovick recommends pouring it with béchamel lasagna or bruschetta topped with creamy mushroom duxelle. “Avoid having too much acid in the food as it can take away from the delicate balance of acid and fruit intensity in the wine,” he says.

2014 Pine Ridge Fortis Cabernet Sauvignon 

A visit to the Pine Ridge wine caves for a food and wine pairing is a great chance to taste Fortis for the first time. This tête de cuvée was created in 2003 to represent the pinnacle of winemaking at Pine Ridge, a blend from the best blocks from 160 acres of estate vineyards across five Napa Valley appellations: Stags Leap, Howell Mountain, Oakville, Rutherford and Carneros. Winemaker Michael Beaulac joined the winery in the spring of 2009, shifting the Pine Ridge style towards more classically proportioned and restrained cabernet. The 2014 vintage is predominantly from Stags Leap District with notes of plum, huckleberry and vanilla and the Pine Ridge team recommends pairing it with aged pecorino or sirloin steak.

2017 Quintessa Cabernet Sauvignon

From its biodynamic vineyard to its gravity flow winery, Quintessa evokes a modern minimalistic aesthetic – culminating in a singular cabernet-based bottling. The 280-acre Rutherford estate only hosts one party at a time for a private tasting experience if you wish to try the 2017 Quintessa Cabernet Sauvignon at its provenance. The well-drained volcanic soils perfect for making a Bordeaux-inspired wine that’s both generous and elegant, with strong structure to balance vibrant fruit. The 2017 vintage in particular is reminiscent of dark chocolate covered blueberries with hints of cinnamon and a lingering finish with savory herbal notes that speak to the estate’s biodiversity. The winery also launched a virtual estate experience that includes a video tour and half-bottle tasting trio of the 2013, 2016 and 2017 vintages priced at $300. Call 707-967-1601 for more information.

2017 Spottswoode Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

Over the course of 36 vintages since 1982, the Spottswoode Estate Cabernet Sauvignon has been regularly compared to the First Growths of Bordeaux by wine critics. The legendary, 138-year-old Napa Valley estate vineyard at the foot of the Mayacamas Mountains was the first estate vineyard in Napa Valley to be farmed organically beginning in 1985, creating wines of depth and nuance. Vineyard manager and winemaker Aron Weinkauf has been at Spottswoode for 15 years and his latest vintage is warm and weighty, with fudgy plum balanced by flinty minerality. Pair it with a simple burger or meaty mushrooms.

2017 Cliff Lede Beckstoffer To Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon

Wines made from Beckstoffer’s To Kalon Vineyard are among the rarest and most sought-after bottles of cabernet sauvignon from Napa Valley year after year. Cliff Lede Vineyards’ winemaker Christopher Tynan is always careful to balance the powerful fruit with lively acidity to allow for graceful aging. The 2017 Cliff Lede Beckstoffer To Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon smells like black forest cake with wild blackberry, black tea and licorice on the palate.

“2017 was a special vintage in Napa” Tynan says. “A soaking wet winter brought us out of the drought, and a warm and similarly wet spring allowed for early budbreak and gorgeous, full canopies to develop before the ripening heat of the end of the growing season settled in. The To Kalon fruit was near perfect.”

2010 Rudd Oakville Estate Samantha’s Cabernet Sauvignon

Rudd Estate only makes four wines, but has an exceptional library program, holding back 35 cases of the 790 cases made in 2010. For the 2010 Rudd Oakville Estate Samantha’s Cabernet Sauvignon, a cooler growing season produced an especially fresh and elegant wine from their organically farmed, iron-rich Oakville soil. A decade later, the palate remains lively with juicy black cherry while the nose has developed into a more complex, savory character. Rudd Estate founder Leslie Rudd also owns Press, a St. Helena chophouse that has the largest collection of Napa Valley wines in the world. This exceptional library vintage is available by allocation and on the wine list at Press. 

2016 Chateau Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

Chateau Montelena may be most famous for their chardonnay beating French Burgundy to win the “Judgment of Paris” wine competition in 1976, but their 2016 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is a sleeper hit too. Pressed from the best grapes from Chateau Montelena’s Calistoga estate, winemaker Matt Crafton has created an opulent vintage with a bright red berry and floral nose, hinting at deeper nutty and woodsy flavors to surface over a couple decades in the cellar.

Every week, Crafton hosts Instagram Live sessions, where he leads viewers through virtual tastings, cellar tours and vineyard visits. Chateau Montelena also offers virtual one-on-one tastings where guests can connect with one of Montelena’s live, virtual hosts for an appointment tailored to your personal wine preferences. Simply email wineclubs@montelena.com with the desired date, time and the wine(s) you plan to enjoy. 

2017 Ehlers Estate 1886 Cabernet Sauvignon

The flagship wine from Ehlers Estate is named for the year that founder Bernard Ehlers finished construction on the historic stone barn that is now used as the Ehlers winery and tasting room in St. Helena. This single-vineyard cabernet sauvignon is farmed 100% organically on Ehlers’ 42-acre continuous estate with fruit sourced from different blocks on property. The grapes never even touch the road, since the winery is located in the heart of their vineyards. This vintage was one with abundant rainfall and a mild spring, and the full-bodied wine has aromas of black cherry, chocolate and saffron. Hold this one for a few more years to let the tannins soften and reveal more herbaceous undertones. 

2016 Ad Vivum Sleeping Lady Cabernet Sauvignon

The dazzling ruby 2016 Ad Vivum Cabernet Sauvignon represents one of Napa’s best recent vintages, made with 100% cabernet sauvignon grapes from two micro-blocks at Sleeping Lady Vineyard in Yountville along the Mayacamas Mountains. Winemaker Chris Phelps has worked with Petrus, Dominus and Caymus and he made just 430 cases of this allocation only wine for his own label. Dense tannic structure and youthfully energetic cassis mean the wine will drink well for several decades to come.

2015 ADAMVS Cabernet Sauvignon

The flagship ADAMVS Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is truly one of the most underrated in all of Napa Valley. This 100% cabernet sauvignon wine is the pinnacle of the biodynamic estate program, aged for 22 months in 95% new French oak, creating a strong tannic structure with notes of black currant, violets and a hint of smoke on the finish. The current 2015 vintage was a close collaboration between winemaker Sarah Donley and consulting winemaker Philippe Melka. Production is limited to just a few barrels each vintage, depending on the vintage between 50 to a couple hundred cases.





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