Thomas Rivers Brown’ stunning mid $ 50s Cab



The farmer works to produce the best crop possible, knowing once it leaves their hands, they no longer have control. The winemaker, regardless of skill and ability, can only work with what comes through the winery doors. Matt Hardin, a 6th-generation Napa resident, and farmer, is a partner in Barbour Vineyards, one of the most renowned vineyard management companies in Northern California. Thomas Rivers Brown, the winemaker for some of Napa and Sonoma’s most iconic labels (Schrader Cellars, Outpost, and his own Rivers-Marie & Aston), has more than 20+ 100-point wines on his resume.
 
Working together for many years on many different projects, a friendship was developed. Out of that friendship the idea of working together to make wine, utilizing the strengths of the other, Caterwaul was born.
 
Winery Notes: 2020 is what we call a “winemaker’s vintage.” Napa Valley was faced with a variety of challenges throughout the growing season, but from that adversity, was the opportunity for an experienced and intuitive winemaker to use their skill set to produce wines of profound power, depth, and complex character. Going into 2020, Winter was a continuation of the 4-year drought we had been experiencing in this region. The majority of the rain started in late March. Spring was very mild and the vines started bud break a couple of weeks ahead of schedule. Throughout the late Spring and Summer, we experienced a series of heat waves. Once the crop load had gone through set, it became clear we would have a below-average crop load for this vintage. Both cluster size and berry size were down. While this means less wine to go around, the small cluster and berry size contribute to dark, dense, and nuanced wines. Leading into Fall, harvest was ahead of schedule. While the growing conditions had some peaks and valleys, the wines have made up for it with incredible quality in every category.
 
Caterwaul 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
Retail 54.99
Max 6 per person, sorry

 
This amazing Cabernet Sauvignon was sourced from one of the most historic and pedigreed sites in Stags Leap. An alluring wine that is dense, plush, and beautifully layered in the glass. Bright aromatics play off the super-ripe, racy fruit in a wine that conveys the essence of the vintage and this site to great effect. Hints of pomegranate and white flowers add a decidedly exotic touch to the explosive finish.
 
Jeb Dunnuck 94 Points (2019): “A perennial value that readers should snatch up, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley boasts a spicy, red and black-fruited, tobacco and cedar-driven profile as well as full-bodied richness on the palate. It’s fruit loaded and has a round, elegant mouthfeel, supple tannins, and a great finish. It’s well worth seeking out and ideal for drinking over the coming 10-15 years.”

Winemaker Notes: “This vintage of Caterwaul expresses an impressive array of decadent fruit, exotic spice, and mouth-watering structure. In the glass, the wine exhibits a completely opaque, deep purple hue with a dark violet halo. Aromas swell from the glass in waves of black cherry, plum reduction, aromatic wood, eucalyptus, and pine bough. The palate is marked by a very sleek, polished mouth-feel. Complex notes of roasted meat, cassis, quince, macerated blackberry, and nutmeg are intricately layered, framed by a complimentary acidity. This wine offers a wealth of pure Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon character that is readily accessible today and should age well in the cellar for decades.“

Wine Spectator:  “Keeping an Open Mind on the 2020 vintage – REALLY!”

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