Copper Bear Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Vineyards Napa Valley 2024

When the 2023 Copper Bear sold out in less than a day, my first call was to winemaker and owner, Jesse Giacomelli. I wanted to thank him, and I also wanted to know if there was any way to get more. Jesse was thrilled that our First Bottle customers took to the wine the way they did, and he promised to hold the next allocation for us before it went anywhere else.

I recently met with Jesse and we tasted the 100% Cabernet Sauvignon 2024 together, and we both came to the same conclusion - it's BETTER. The structure that made the 2023 so impressive is all here, but the 2024 brings more opulence, with a plusher core of dark fruit, and even more elegance on top. It's the rare follow-up vintage that adds something without giving up what people loved in the first place.

Jesse is still working at the scale that makes Copper Bear special (5 barrels). By day he's the winemaker for Beckstoffer Vineyards, and by night he's making just a few barrels of his own Cabernet from that same fruit (Beckstoffer Oakville, St.Helena, and Rutherford). That means we get first crack at the newest vintage, and the quantity is small. The price is the same as last year, and I'd happily pour this next to Napa Cabs at much higher prices.

If you missed the 2023, this is your second chance. When Jesse first poured me Copper Bear, I had immediate flashbacks to the first time I tasted Bevan Ontogeny, Eisele Altagracia, and Schrader Double Diamond, wines that came out of nowhere and instantly made noise. That same spark is still here, and the 2024 has only added to it. If you got the 2023, you already know why I'm writing. 

My notes: Dark ruby in the glass, with aromas of ripe black cherry, cassis, violets, and graphite. The palate has the same fine-grained structure as the 2023, now wrapped in riper, more generous dark fruit, and it finishes long and polished. Lovely now with a short decant, and built to evolve. 

Grab 6 bottles before this one disappears like 2023 did!