2016 Barnett Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain District 750 ml

Barnett Vineyards has been one of my favorite estates since I moved to Napa over a decade ago. Nestled over 2,000 feet up near the peak of Spring Mountain, Barnett is an under-the-radar winery known for its elegant, dark, Cabernets that speak to the original style of Napa—a style that perfectly balances ripeness with spice and nuance. Today, I am thrilled to share Barnett’s classic Cabernet Sauvignon with you because Spring Mountain Cabernet like this deserves to be shared far and wide...not just with Michelin-starred restaurants. 

Now helmed by former Ridge Monte Bello winemaker David Tate, Barnett has been making Cabernet on Spring Mountain for decades—and are still charging prices that other wineries left behind decades ago. Today, we’ve got every price in the nation beat: This stellar Cabernet is just $64.99, or $59.99 on three or more. 

Deep purple, almost black in color, the 2016 Barnett is a gorgeous example of mountain Cabernet. Sun-drenched blackberries, cassis, and blueberry aromas meld seamlessly with exotic spices, mature tobacco, clove, and a hint of mint on the nose. A perfect addition to any red wine lover’s cellar, at a fraction of the price of their Spring Mountain neighbors.

Recently, I took the Wine Access team on an excursion to Barnett, and re-ignited my love affair with their dense, energetic Cabernets. With a cool fog blanketing Napa Valley, we headed up Spring Mountain Road, passing Lokoya, Philip Togni, Keenan, and Vineyard 7 & 8 on the way. By the time we reached the winery, the sun was shining bright, and a look out from the mountain showed the thick fog well below us, still sitting over the valley floor.

The fact that Barnett is basking in mountain sunshine when the rest of the valley is still overcast isn’t the only thing that makes it special, as winemaker David Tate showed us. The vines are planted in mostly terraced rows that reach up to 35 degrees of slope in some places. The rocky, poor soils make the vines work extremely hard for nutrients, which results in low yields of small, intensely flavored berries. Plus, perched at the top of Spring Mountain—and what feels like the end of the world—Barnett gets cool breezes coming over from Sonoma County and the Pacific. The combination of sunshine and coolness translates to the long, slow ripening season that Cabernet Sauvignon loves. At Barnett, they typically harvest two or three weeks after wineries on the valley floor.

Tate is the perfect man to usher Barnett into the bottle. He not only has experience in Australia’s Barossa Valley, Provence, and New Zealand, but he spent five years as assistant winemaker at Ridge crafting Monte Bello, perhaps California’s most famous and admired mountain Cabernet. That expertise shines through in the elegant, structured, and supple 2016 Barnett Cabernet. 

If you didn’t know Barnett until right now—well, that’s why we call it an insider Cabernet. And we’re called Wine Access because we love to bring insider wines like that to you. Today, the door’s open to any Cabernet lover with a little room in the cellar, and a desire to taste one of our favorites from Spring Mountain.