Ghost Block Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Napa Valley 2023

It’s a good day for some Ghost Block – one of the originals to produce an ultra-culty, small-production, devastatingly-hard-to-acquire Cabernet Sauvignon in Oakville. We are ecstatic to have even a small allotment – but not nearly enough to last long!

If you’re new to them, Ghost Block happens to be a legend in Oakville – known for their incredible fruit and exceptional wines that have become instant hits and collectors’ items since the early ‘80s. This brand new release is another stupendous notch on their belt, and one any Napa Cab enthusiast should be thrilled to get their hands on. As the story goes, back in 1982, a Napa old-timer told Andy Hoxsey over beers at Yountville’s infamous dive bar, Pancha’s, he’d seen the ghost of George C. Yount wandering the rows of Andy’s family’s vineyards, making his routine trek from Pioneer cemetery to the top of Yountville Hill. That very next day, Andy trademarked the name Ghost Block.

This wine’s grapes come entirely from the family’s Rock Cairn Vineyard in Oakville, planted atop its famous gravelly loam soil, created by boulders that tumbled down from Napa’s eastern mountains, from what is now Pritchard Hill and Stagecoach vineyard. Five different blocks of Cabernet Sauvignon at Rock Cairn Vineyard – ranging between 6- to 41-year-old vines – contribute to this wine, providing an amalgamation of characteristics based on vine age. The wine itself is 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Malbec, and 2% Petit Verdot, all fruit that was picked toward the end of harvest. Priyanka French, Ghost Block’s accomplished winemaker, ages the wine for 24 months in 60% new French oak to develop a euphoric wine that touts deep berry flavors alongside a just-right amount of barrel spice for a devilishly velvety fullness.

Expect a bodacious opening of blueberry preserves, blackberry pie, and juicy plums, accompanied by decidedly more subtle but lovely notes of cocoa, cedar, sage, all-spice, and some dark-roast espresso. The classic sweet and earthy note – with a touch of minerality – famous in Oakville Cabs shines through softly in each sip, while a voluptuous density and ever-so-smooth, lengthy finish showcase the wine’s pedigree to no end. What a Napa Cabernet! And what a price to behold. Add a few of these to your cellar – and your summer agenda – while we have them!

FOOD PAIRINGS: How about a juicy and savory grilled rosemary and garlic-addled pork tenderloin, complete with scalloped potatoes? It’s a yes for me.