2016 Boatique Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Red Hills Lake County 750 ml

Winemaker Patrick Sullivan picked up a handful of red volcanic soil peppered with black obsidian, cupped it in his fingers, held the loamy ball out to us, and said, “This is what makes Napa nervous.”

A bold expression of the iron-rich soils that Sullivan held in his palm, the 2016 Boatique shows a muscularity, power, and freshness that we associate with the high-toned, long-lived Cabernets of Howell Mountain. Mineral layers and silky tannins underline a broad, voluptuous structure filled with violets and Mission plums. The heady complexity made our palates dizzy and had us coming back for more a second later.

Value is built-in because real estate in this remote, higher-altitude region doesn’t come at the astronomical prices Napa demands. That’s proved true even as the appellation’s potential is being mined by superstar growers like Andy Beckstoffer, who farms the iconic Beckstoffer To Kalon vineyard and made a huge bet on the Red Hills with his land acquisitions there. 

That’s because the breeze-cooled Red Hills vineyards make a devastating argument that superb California Cabernet doesn’t have to cost $100, or even $50. While the elevation climbs here, with vineyards ranging from 1,400 to 3,000 feet above sea level, the pricing stays rock-solid. This is a fabulous Cab deal that puts a lot of overpriced bottles in the hot seat. Pick it up to see how good California Cabernet value can get.

Patrick Sullivan knows Napa’s upper echelons, having worked at iconic houses like Lewis Cellars and Rudd, and alongside legendary consultant Paul Hobbs. What drew him to Boatique was the chance to work with an old family friend, the winery’s co-owner Bob Mount, and the opportunity to get his hands dirty with some of the most fascinating terroir north of Napa.

The soils beneath Boatique’s 100 acres of vineyards in the Red Hills were spewed from the Mt. Konocti volcano some seven million years ago. Farmers here still dig up obsidian rocks as big as wine barrels. That rich volcanic soil, with a high presence of iron, imparts a precise, deep minerality to the region’s wines.

Just as important as the soil is the location of vineyards along gentle hillsides with slopes of between 5 and 15%, which allow for drainage and encourage roots to sink deep into even more complex geological layers. Boatique’s plots occupy some of the highest hills in the region, standing at 2,266 feet in elevation, helping develop acids and freshness in spite of the sun’s intense warmth.

A 22-month rest in 100% French oak helps to elegantly stitch together the broad panels of lush, dark, concentrated fruit, coating the palate in a velvet texture. A tribute to one of California’s most exciting appellations, get in on this today.