2015 TOR Cabernet Sauvignon Herb Lamb Vineyard Napa Valley 750 ml

Unprecedented Access to Grand Cru Napa Cab

There are a handful of vineyards in Napa Valley that winemakers covet so much they are willing to lock themselves into 10-year contracts and pay premiums for grapes—these are the vineyards to which Tor Kenward has access. Today’s 2015 TOR Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Herb Lamb Vineyard comes off the mystical source of the same name, just east of St. Helena in the foothills of Howell Mountain—a site farmed by Jim Barbour and used to be bottled by Colgin for $700. The legendary grower supplies grapes to a bevy of 100-point winemakers, and most will tell you it is his work in the vines that makes all the difference. Barbour’s clients have included Hundred Acre, Grace Family, and Hourglass, to name just a few. Of all Barbour’s clients, the wines from Tor Kenward are perhaps the hardest to find. But thanks to our continued relationship with Matt Deller MW (now working with Tor), we have UNPRECEDENTED access to Tor’s portfolio. Case in point: this 2015 which we judged to be a 97-point profound, majestically structured and silken Cabernet. Bursting with red and black fruits, exotic spices, crushed violets, tinged with clove and dark chocolate and fine French oak. Previously only allocated to Tor’s mailing list, 180 bottles (almost one of nine barrels produced) are up for grabs. Thanks to Matt and Tor. Shipping included on all orders.

Napa superstar Tor Kenward has become synonymous with the pinnacle of hedonistic, brilliantly-structured Napa Cabernet. How? He has access to Napa’s greatest vineyards like Beckstoffer To Kalon, Vine Hill Ranch, and Herb Lamb, to name a few. As Robert M. Parker Jr. points out: “Tor Kenward uses the middle section of this vineyard that was earlier used by Ann Colgin for her Herb Lamb bottlings." Antonio Galloni suggests “Tor Kenward and winemaker Jeff Ames have done a superb job in bringing out the essential signatures that make Herb Lamb one of the most intriguing sites in Napa Valley.”

Located 800 feet above the Valley floor, just below the Howell Mountain appellation line, Herb Lamb Vineyard yields distinct cool-climate Cabernet Sauvignon. The plot now farmed by Tor Kenward and winemaker Jeff Ames was formerly leased to Ann Colgin for 15 years and is one of the most coveted spots in the seven-acre vineyard. The complexity, elegance, and subtlety that results from this site is almost unimaginable. As Galloni wrote, “In a vintage in which so many wines are monolithic, the Herb Lamb possesses captivating aromatics and silky tannins that seem to bring out the best this site has to offer. Super-ripe red cherry, raspberry, hard candy and wild flowers give the 2015 a level of sensual exoticism that is impossible to miss.”

Impossible to miss, yet incredibly hard to find. With only nine barrels produced, there is hardly enough of the 2015 TOR Cabernet Sauvignon Herb Lamb Vineyard to go around. Such is the case with all of the wines in TOR’s portfolio, which are mostly reserved for his mailing list and select Michelin-starred restaurants. If you’re already in tune with Tor’s wines, you very likely already have a “confirmation” order in your inbox. For those just tuning in, one taste of a Tor Cabernet and you’ll understand why Napa Cabernet has taken the world by storm; upending Bordeaux as far back as 1976, and turning an eye to California as the only real rival to the long-lived Cabernet-fueled wines of the Left Bank.

Tor’s wines strike a beautiful balance delivering a rich, hedonistic experience but have proved capable of going the long haul with proper storage. Opening a TOR wine that’s aged 10 or even 15 years, will signify a benchmark experience in the life of any wine drinker. Buy a few bottles to enjoy now, and to be stunned down the road.