2018 Juslyn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain District 750 ml

The story of Juslyn begins with Napa legend and longtime Juslyn winemaker Craig Maclean, who in 1994 spotted the steep slope that would one day yield today’s wine. At the time, he was the head winemaker at Spring Mountain Vineyards and was becoming an expert on the mountain’s jagged ridges and valleys. But the hillside that Maclean found most intriguing spoke far less of the mountain itself than the rocky patches of ground on the valley floor in St. Helena and Oakville—except for the imposing 30-degree slope!

MacLean passed by the hillside every few days, marveling at the rugged soil and fantasizing about the Cabernet it could produce. But the young winemaker knew the likelihood of anyone ever buying the parcel, then investing in its planting, was almost nil. Still, the winemaker thought, why not dream?

Two years later, Perry Butler and his wife Carolyn not only bought the property, but brought in a vineyard management team lead by Oscar Renteria (whose clients include Etude, Duckhorn, Rombauer, and in the past Screaming Eagle and Dalla Valle) to plant the slope with spades and shovels—the only way, given the poor soil and imposing slope. Then Butler called MacLean.

Between 2004 and 2014, Maclean translated that perilous hillside into a plethora of high-scoring, Parker favorites—fabulously rich, ultra-sleek Cabernet Sauvignons that race from the gate like thoroughbreds but age gracefully for decades. Fast forward to the 2018 vintage, and at 20 years of age, these vines offered up exquisite fruit for winemaker Brian Kosi—UC Davis grad and alum of Opus One and Plumpjack—to craft into this brilliant Cab.