2018 Stay Home Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

As professional wine lovers, staying home isn’t really in our DNA. To love wine is to love the endless pursuit of it, from uncovering hidden vineyard pockets in our California backyard to sourcing rare bottlings from era-defining estates abroad. It takes a certain kind of wine to make us forget the chase and relish in the familiar. And when we tasted this delicious, soul-affirming 2018 Cabernet from Napa’s famed hillsides, the only thing we wanted to do was take it home, and stay there.

From a majestic estate that’s a Wine Enthusiast Editors’ Choice favorite at $45 per bottle, we fell for this fresh, black-fruited expression of Cabernet Sauvignon while it was still resting in French oak. As its blackberry and blueberry aromas overflowed from the glass, quickly followed by undertones of mocha, clove, allspice, black tea, and dried violets, we were mesmerized. Full-bodied and warming on the palate, with fine, powdery textured tannins, we assumed it was destined for the winery’s flagship $90 mountain-appellated bottlings. 

We immediately secured as much as we could to offer for $20—a rainy-day gift to Wine Access members. We can’t reveal the famous name of our source, but the Howell Mountain estate is a multigenerational passion project with over 40 years of Cabernet Sauvignon history on Napa’s hallowed terroir. 

This wine is the perfect way to experience the extreme terrain and wild elements that vines weather on Napa’s mountainous slopes without having to brave them yourself. 

Ancient mineral deposits and abundant mountain sunlight deliver a powerful Cabernet experience with firm tannins and decadent fruit flavors. We decided to call it Stay Home, not only as a nod to the current proverbial “rainy day” we’re all experiencing in some form, but because this is the kind of wine that reminds us to slow down, to pause the infinite quest, and to savor sublimity in the familiar.

With the estate’s soaring, mountainous essence captured in such a fantastic $20 powerhouse, we can’t think of a better excuse to, well, stay home and drink it in.