2016 Rudius Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Kaley Elizabeth Oakville Napa Valley 750 ml

Jeff Ames’ Rudius Cabernet Sauvignon Kaley Elizabeth has attained near-mythical status at Wine Access through a rare trifecta: insatiable demand, excellent member reviews… and of course, stunning Cabernet quality that we believe puts Kaley Elizabeth up with the all-time greats of Napa Valley.  

The wine’s status could only be elevated with a best-ever bottle—which Ames delivers in his 2016.

A 97-point all-time great that Jeb Dunnuck calls a “magical wine,” it hails from the sacred soils of the Tierra Roja Vineyard in eastern Oakville, a terroir that boasts the same red soils as Pritchard Hill, and is coveted by just about every winemaker in the Valley. But Jeff is Tierra Roja’s winemaker, which means he has unmatched access to fruit to use in his Rudius bottlings. 

And terroir and talent rarely come together like this—let alone for less than $250. With a dark ruby-purple center with crimson highlights throughout, the nose opens to warm black currant, blackberry, and plum accented with the crisped edge of a grilled ribeye, dried spices, and flowers. The wine is full-bodied and rich, yet beautifully balanced in its components. Filling the mouth with densely concentrated flavors, it’s a gorgeous picture of an all-time great vintage, and will certainly unveil layers of flavor in the coming decade. 

Jeb Dunnuck’s 97-point zone is occupied by some major-league Cabernets, including a $300 bottle from Morlet and a $400 Beckstoffer To Kalon Cab from Schrader—and you can put away three or four of these bottles for the price of one of those. It’s a seamless Napa Valley Cabernet gem that deserves its place with the best, and we’re thrilled to have it. While it lasts.

Kaley Elizabeth is the kind of opulent, broad-shouldered, and age-worthy Cabernet that inspired Parker to declare rising-star vintner Jeff Ames “a name to reckon with.” No surprise, considering that Ames honed his Cabernet toolkit making wines for Schrader, Tor Kenward, Maybach, and Outpost, all under 100-point regular Thomas Rivers Brown.

Now, Ames is on a tear with Rudius. His early wines gained critical attention, his scores crept up and up, and in 2012 and 2013, he broke through by placing five Cabernet Sauvignons in Robert Parker’s 94- to 96+ point range. Now, Kaley Elizabeth has a reputation among collectors as a wine whose price belies the kind of world-class quality for which many will pay a mint. 

Sourced from the middle of what is referred to as the “magic mountain” (due to the sheer number of top wines that come from its rocky, iron-rich soils), the grapes that go into the Kaley Elizabeth bottling hail from thirty-year-old vines that are forced to struggle in the rocky soils. This results in tiny berries of phenomenal concentration, which yield multidimensional wines like this one, which explodes with black fruit, cassis, savory herbs, and licorice. 

This is as good as Napa Valley gets, at a price that will remind you of the days when the best was attainable at grounded prices. Don’t miss this member-favorite.