2018 Moundsman Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena Napa Valley 750 ml

For years, we’ve had our eye on a Cabernet parcel located along a particular private St. Helena driveway—a site that produces what Robert Parker has called “over-delivering” and “world-class” wines. 

Since we never know where our next great vineyard lead will come from, we haven’t hesitated to mention this case of Cabernet envy to our winemaker acquaintances—and we’ve given an earful to the good friend we call “the Moundsman,” an expert grape grower and farmer who knows Napa Valley like a saddle knows a horse’s back.

One day close to the 2018 harvest—a season that was developing into a banner year for Napa Cabernet Sauvignon—we got a phone call. On the other end was the taciturn Moundsman, who said we needed to meet him at the entrance of that St. Helena driveway. Now. 

Let’s just say it was a fruitful call, as the actual fruits—meaning the highly prized Cabernet grapes we’d long coveted—are contained within today’s 2018 Moundsman Cabernet Sauvignon, which proudly bears the St. Helena AVA on the label. And it’s something special—showing a ruby-purple center with aromas of crushed blackberry, plum, wild-grown violets, licorice, and grilled red pepper. A sip reveals notes of supple warm raspberry, cherry, leather, and cinnamon spice, carried on elongated tannins with a kiss of French oak. 

Other wineries that buy these grapes make Cabernets that cost as much as $145 per bottle. Thanks to the Moundsman, his good friend (the 100-point winemaker icon who works with these precious grapes every season), and a bountiful 2018 harvest, we can offer this excellent St. Helena Cabernet for a tiny fraction of that.

From the foot of the drive, we set out to meet the Moundsman, who’d pulled up to the vineyard in his pickup along with his slobbery bloodhound, Rusty. Together, we walked the rows of vines, munching on grapes, getting the details, crunching the numbers. 

The Moundsman’s revered 100-point winemaker friend runs the show at a world-class boutique winery that uses these grapes every year, and he’d contacted the Moundsman, seeking a home for the surplus from the hallowed site. “That’s how it is with Cabernet Sauvignon,” the Moundsman said. “Give it a perfect growing season, and it’ll show its bounty. But when you’re looking for two tons to the acre instead of a four-ton crop, well…” His voice trailed off, and we were lost in the excitement of the moment, digging for the checkbook. 

After all, we were among the vines at one of the oldest continuously-owned family vineyards in Napa, dating back to the 1860s. Smack at the foot of the Mayacamas Mountains, rooted in an alluvial gravel bed, the site boasts the kind of soil that Cabernet Sauvignon craves. It’s no surprise that nearly every winemaker who gets their hands on this fruit earns high marks from enthusiasts and critics alike.

For instance, Robert Parker had a few warm words about the 100-point winemaker’s Cabernet rendition from this vineyard, noting that previous vintages were “Pauillac-like,” as if to say Napa finally had something on Bordeaux, thanks to these vines. 

It wasn’t more than five minutes later that we handed the Moundsman a check. He nodded before slipping it discreetly into his pocket, as if earning a check for all his hard work was just a symptom of the job—as if making great wine from great grapes was payment enough.

With the fruit secured, we let the Moundsman work his magic. When the grapes came in, he gently crushed them, and once fermented, settled the nascent wine into 80% new French oak for 20 months before bottling. The result is a long-awaited win for us—and an incredible St. Helena Cabernet coup for Wine Access members.