2018 Gibbs Three Clone Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

The 2018 Gibbs Three Clone Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the last undiscovered gems of Napa Valley—available today at a knockout $30 bargain.

With the hype around this wine rising rapidly, it won’t remain an industry secret for much longer. Just last year, Decanter named it one of the best under-$50 Napa Cabernet values from 2018 and issued a glowing review. Citing the “impressive balance and complexity at this price point,” they declared it “highly recommended” and “a truly fantastic value.”

James Suckling was also left marveling at the bang-for-buck quality here: In March, he put the 2018 Gibbs Three Clone Cabernet first on his list of “8 Great Value Napa Reds Under $50.” Awarding 94 points in his review, Suckling called it “very drinkable now and beautiful.”

Grown by a third-generation family from two estate vineyards that have supplied grapes to 100-point estates like Cakebread and Chappellet, it delivers a powerful statement of St. Helena and Howell Mountain terroir. 

This is the kind of overperforming dinner table wine that was once common around Napa Valley, but is now almost impossible to find at anything less than a luxury price. Showing a decadent, dark-fruited bouquet and focused poise that couldn’t come from anywhere but Napa, you won’t believe you paid just $30 for this wine—not when most other Cabernets of this caliber cost at least $100.

The reason why Gibbs can pull off an outstanding deal like this goes back to the very origins of the estate. A farmer and psychologist, Dr. Lewis Gibbs Carpenter Jr. acquired the property back when Napa was better known for growing nuts than grapes. In the 1970s, he gradually began replanting land otherwise occupied by orchards to Bordeaux varieties. His son-in-law, Craig, began helping to make wine there in 2000, and when Lewis passed away in 2013, Craig and his son Spencer started the brand as a tribute to their relative and friend.

Because the land and operations have been in family hands for so long, the winery doesn’t have the kind of capital costs that a newer label would—and they pass those savings onto their customers. For the level of renown attached to this wine, it could easily sell for multiples more.

This cuvée is named for the three clones of Cabernet that are grown on the two vineyards, lending this wine its depth and complexity: 6, 15, and 337. The historic Centa Vineyard, located near the Mayacamas mountain range in St. Helena, sits between two other hallowed Napa sites: Duckhorn Winery and Titus Vineyards. First planted in the 1880s, this valley floor site captures heat and supplies this wine’s core of dense, ripe concentration. The Cross Creek Vineyard, the original property acquired by Lewis, lies at the base of Howell Mountain—right across from the powerhouse Hundred Acre Ark Vineyard, a 100-point site that produces $600 wine.

Agricultural at heart, the family behind Gibbs remains laser-focused on the grapes, and keeps the prices reasonable—making this a one-of-a-kind deal.