2015 Italics Winegrowers Sixteen Appellations Napa Valley 750 ml

Never submitted for review, never released to the public, and never done before—that pretty much sums up the 2015 Italics Winegrowers Sixteen Appellations. To our knowledge—and please let us know if we’re mistaken—there is no other Cabernet-based wine that includes grapes from ALL 16 American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) in Napa Valley, at this quality level.

Italics takes the cuvée concept to dizzying, almost unbelievable heights—but when a Winemaker of the Year like Marbue Marke is in charge, impossibilities become possible. The vineyard sources are among the absolute best from each AVA: top-scoring vineyards like Robert Keenan on Spring Mountain, Blackbird in Oak Knoll, and Annapurna in the Stags Leap District. The rest we can’t disclose because the grapes that go to Italics come from blue-chip sites that “never sell their fruit,” according to Marke. “They love our project though, and our relationships with these growers run deep,” he added. 

So, while those wines typically fetch $150-$250, Marke’s perfect, singular snapshot of Napa is a mere $75 upon release.

In the glass, Italics is a festival of the red aromas and flavors that typify the low-yielding 2015 vintage: red roses, dark red plum, and red currants, unfolding with espresso, dark chocolate, and generous and elongated silky tannins. This is your ticket to understanding why 2015 was a great vintage for Napa Cabernet, fully encapsulated in one profoundly rich, complex, and downright delicious wine.  

We discovered the elegant, inky Sixteen Appellations blend a few years ago, when we found ourselves clinking glasses with an elite crowd of winemakers in downtown Napa for a film screening. Julien Fayard, Aaron Pott, and Heidi Barrett were among the stars in the crowd. 

The movie Decanted, which featured the aforementioned winemakers, was, in the end, all about the brand Italics, and the journey to produce a wine that could offer a true snapshot of Napa Valley. No one in the room knew that was the film’s outcome, and of course, we were skeptical. But after the credits rolled, and the lights came on, and our glasses filled with their initial effort—fireworks.    

The San Francisco-based wine and spirits journal Bonfort’s named winemaker Marke it’s 2019 U.S. Winemaker of the Year, which just underscored what we’ve known for close to a decade, since his days at Caldwell Vineyards: He’s the real deal. 

The winemaker, the vineyard sources, the gorgeous simplicity of the label design, and the pedigree of talent all conspire to make this rich and supple blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, and 4% Cabernet Franc the center of attention the very second you pop the cork. We’ll say it again: This is Napa Valley in one bottle.