Cabernet; Napa; CA
I have been tasting the finest Cabs Napa can offer for the last thirty years always on the hunt for the next great house, great wine and I can tell you it is time to put Arrow & Branch on your radar. Arrow & Branch Wines was founded by Steve and Seanne Contursi, who have been avid Bordeaux wine collectors since the 1980s. He made his fortune rare coins and today has the largest inventory of US rare coins in the world and hence the name Arrow & Branch. I tasted the wines last week and we are talking pinnacle Cult Napa. Napa in all its glory, top of the Cabernet pyramid.
First winemaker was the great Helen Keplinger and now Jennifer Williams has taken over. Jennifer has achieved her own pedestal, she has worked with and learned from the best: Francoise Peschon winemaker at Araujo and VHR, Rosemary Cakebread and vineyard guru David Abreau. Williams was Spottswoode’s Winemaker from 2006 to 2011. The wine I bring to you today is the Arrow & Branch Black Label Cabernet 2022. The wine blew me away. Sold out at the winery, a mere production of 350 cases, the wine rivals the best Cabernet i have tasted this year. The wine is a blend of great vineyards: Lewelling, Stagecoach and Dr Crane. Again, these vineyards have made some of the greatest wines ever in Napa. 2022 has not been rated yet but the 2019 vintage got 98pts by Jeb Dunnuck. We have received a tiny allocation of this wine to offer! A great example of Napa Cab power and finesse and not it’s not $300 a bottle, not yet!
The Cabernet Sauvignon Black Label is a beautiful wine, and I’d say a match for anything out there at the price. Impressive black fruits, smoked tobacco, and darker chocolate all define the aromatics, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness as well as the concentrated, focused, powerful style of the vintage front and center. Give it a few years, and it’s going to drink beautifully through 2036.
The Cabernet Sauvignon Black Label is a beautiful wine, and I’d say a match for anything out there at the price. Impressive black fruits, smoked tobacco, and darker chocolate all define the aromatics, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness as well as the concentrated, focused, powerful style of the vintage front and center. Give it a few years, and it’s going to drink beautifully through 2036.