2012 Palladian Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

A couple of years ago, we discovered an exquisite back-vintage Cabernet grown on a dusty three-acre site at the base of Howell Mountain, in the prestigious St. Helena AVA. It wasn’t a wine our members knew—as a matter of fact, it was a wine that barely anyone outside the neighborhood knew. Despite the fact that he’d made wines that graced the list at Thomas Keller’s nearby Ad Hoc, winemaker David Mahaffey’s Palladian Cabernet was the epitome of a local secret. 

But word got to us (and therefore to Wine Access members), and Palladian became the surprise hit of the summer, racking up a 4.6-out-of-5 rating—the kind we usually see for Napa Valley superstars like Phelps, Forman, and Shafer. One five-star fan said Palladian topped his favorite big-name California Cab when poured head-to-head, and summarized the outstanding quality with two words: “Shocking, actually.”  

We thought it was a one-and-done deal until a few weeks ago, when we got the unexpected opportunity to crack into Palladian’s cellar once again—and were positively dazzled by their 2012 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.

Now nine years past the extraordinary 96-point season that kicked off Napa’s best-ever streak of vintages, this wine shows why we’ll never turn down an invitation into a Napa Valley cellar. It displays a dusty ruby color in the glass, with exuberant aromas of confected red raspberry, dark plum, and sour cherry, all accented by generous spice and a touch of sun-dried violets. Rich and nuanced with a palate full of dark fruit, dried herbs, tobacco, and lavender, the wine’s gentle tannins melt away over a long, graceful finish. 

In the 1980s, San Francisco shipping magnate David Jones and his wife Sandy set out to build an English-style country estate in Napa Valley, settling on a prime patch of land at the base of Howell Mountain, just east of Silverado Trail. 

They planted vines in 1997, and after several years of selling fruit, they began making Palladian wines. The Joneses enlisted veteran winemaker David Mahaffey, and the trio agreed that they would produce small-batch, elegant Bordeaux-style reds using traditional, artisanal, time-intensive techniques. So they farmed organically, by hand and without pesticides. They let wildflowers bloom between the rows of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc (which wrap around the north side of Meadowood resort), and they removed weeds with a hoe. 

When it came time for harvest, they picked three or four times for ripeness, paying careful attention to canopy management. Mahaffey then crushed the berries gently, and aged the young wine in French oak barrels for two years. Then he let it rest in bottle. 

Aside from the original release to Palladian’s small mailing list, this wine has not seen the light of day. It’s been waiting in the cool cellars for this moment, and we’re thrilled to share it with you.