2015 Vineyard 29 Cabernet Sauvignon Aida Estate Vineyard St. Helena 750 ml

In 2000, Chuck and Anne McMinn purchased Vineyard 29, a St. Helena stronghold with a three-acre vineyard that had recently been planted with Grace Family cuttings by renowned viticulturist David Abreu. Almost coincidentally, they pulled the trigger a second time, securing one of the most coveted, rocky sites in primetime St. Helena, the famed Aida Vineyard. 

Then Chuck put in a call to Philippe Melka, the Bordeaux émigré who is thought in some circles to be the most talented Cabernet-maker this side of Château Latour. Melka brought Keith Emerson on in 2005, and they made this wine together. Emerson is now President and CEO of Vineyard 29, and for good reason—why would the McMinns ever turn away from the man who has made some of the most profound wines in their existence? 

The Aida Vineyard is legendary for its opulence. Prized for grape-growing since the 1920s, it was from this site that Larry Turley produced some of his most famous Zinfandels. Under the McMinn regime, the focus is on Cabernet, which thrives in the warm microclimate and well-draining hillsides. Parker himself has remarked: “I find the winemaking approach much more suitable to the estate’s Aida vineyard, a warm, early maturing site that tends towards richness.”

Reminiscent of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the floor of the site is littered with stones that absorb heat and transfer energy and ripeness into the grapes. The root systems struggle to find purchase and water in these soils, driving plants to focus on producing magnificently concentrated fruit.

2015 was one of the greatest Napa Valley vintages this century—one that produced wines Antonio Galloni of Vinous called “positively stunning in their beauty.” Don’t miss it.