Mt. Brave Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder Napa Valley 2019

Price drops to $118.95 per bottle when you purchase 3 or more!

Chris Carpenter is a 100-point winemaker many times over, with a particular skill in crafting wines from the high elevation sites of Napa’s hillsides – most notably for ultra-premium wineries like Lokoya and Cardinale ($250-$500 a bottle!) This spectacular 2019 cabernet sauvignon – from the treasured old Chateau Potelle vineyard – is a simply remarkable deal at this price!

Mt. Brave is a relatively new project, from the fine wine side of the Jackson Family Portfolio, the Spire Collection (which includes notable wineries such as Vérité, La Jota, Lokoya, Cardinale, Maggy Hawk, and more). The vineyard is a notable, long-time producing plot of top wines, with 14 different blocks of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, malbec, and merlot...plus a couple of blocks dedicated to syrah and zinfandel for other wines in the portfolio. The vineyards span from 1100 feet to 1500 feet above sea level on Mount Veeder’s north-eastern slopes, on the Mayacamas range that forms the western boundary of the Napa Valley.

Long-time winemaker Chris Carpenter is a jack of all trades who has settled in incredibly well to the role of winemaker over the past few decades. Originally on the pre-med track at a university in Chicago, Chris started bartending and fell for the hospitality industry. His passion for food and wine led him to switch paths, in pursuit of a career that melded his newfound passion with his science background. This led to a MS in Horticulture from UC Davis, and an immediate role in Napa’s wine industry (though up through the pandemic, you could still find him moonlighting one day a week as a bartender at Napa’s famous Rutherford Grill).

The 2019 Mt. Veeder clocks in at 90% cabernet sauvignon, 4% merlot, 3% cabernet franc, 2% petit verdot, and 1% malbec. The juice pours out a luminous purple, soon followed by explosive aromatics of violets and lilacs, mixed berry pie, milk chocolate shavings, and pencil lead. The flavors align completely, with added accents of plum, creme de cassis, and cinnamon bark. The finish is bone-dry and highly structured, with an uplifting current of tingling acidity that lingers into the next sip. The classic “friendliness” of Napa’s 2019 vintage is there, yet make no mistake, this is a wine that will benefit from a few years in your cellar, with an upper limit of two decades, easily. 97 point, single vineyard Mt. Veeder cabs are few and far between, and this beauty’s pedigree makes this one to snag – but hurry! Only six cases of this to go around...

PAIRING IDEAS: We’re succumbing to decadence here – steaks with a blue cheese crust. Oh my, if that doesn’t have you drooling, check your pulse.