2013 Castellucci Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain Napa Valley 750 ml

The minute we tasted the first Napa Valley Cabernets from 2013, we knew it was going to be a historic vintage, and we weren’t alone. Antonio Galloni wrote, “2013 will go down as one of the all-time great vintages for Napa Valley.” Robert Parker declared 2013 “one of the greatest vintages in 37 years.”

A decade later, finding a top-flight Cabernet from a small, high-rent district like Spring Mountain will cost you: Bottles from Togni, Lokoya, and Vineyard 7&8 are going for $350–$439 these days, which is why the Castellucci was such a huge score. It was shaped by world-class winemaker Jac Cole—an author of polished, long-lived wines at Spring Mountain Vineyards, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, and S. Anderson—and has sat undisturbed at the winery until now.

Founded by Italian immigrant and property magnate Antonio Castellucci—a true American success story—the Castellucci family has owned and farmed land in Napa Valley for over 20 years. They own 50 acres spread over prime sites in the Spring Mountain, Carneros, Rutherford, and St. Helena AVAs. This comes from their family’s Fern Rock Vineyard on Spring Mountain, just up the road from Fantesca. The vineyard is managed by Antonio’s son Marco and his team, who give it undivided attention year-round.

Ten years have been extremely kind to this deep-ruby-colored Cabernet, and it’s just soaring toward its plateau of maturity. Drink a bottle with a thick ribeye and then enjoy the other 11 over the next five years.