2019 Bevan Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Tench Vineyard Oakville 750 ml

Years ago, when we fell in love with the wines of Russell Bevan, it was reasonable to call him a well-kept secret. No more. Bevan has become one of the hottest winemakers in Napa Valley, and his full-throttle, unapologetic blockbuster reds have now earned over a dozen 100-point scores from multiple critics.

From a sun-drenched, red-andesite-laden Oakville site a stone’s throw from Screaming Eagle, the 2019 Tench Cabernet is a powerhouse that expresses one of Bevan’s signature sites. It boasts 98 points from Wine Advocate and 97 from Jeb Dunnuck, who called it “another monster of a wine from Bevan.”

Just last year, Lisa Perrotti-Brown of Wine Advocate dedicated an evening to tasting through verticals of Bevan wines and was stopped “in her tracks” by Russell’s preternatural ability to express terroir: “When I can see right through the winemaking and peer into a unique expression of a fruit source of singularity,” she wrote, “it reminds me why I’m here.”

Bevan’s deft hand at expressing terroir can be explained, at least partially, by his winemaking practices. He’s obsessed with cleanliness and ages his wines in 100% new French oak because he doesn't want to introduce any unknown elements into the wine. Through his devotion to cellar hygiene, Russell is able to add minimal sulfur and bottle his wines unfiltered. These choices contribute to the wonderful mouthfeel that has earned his wines such acclaim, and they offer the clearest possible window into the vineyards where his wines are born.