2019 Rutherford Hill Cabernet Sauvignon Limited Release Stags Leap District 750 ml

Born of a prime site in the heart of Stags Leap District, not far from Futo ($350+) and Clos du Val’s Hirondelle ($120), Rutherford Hill’s 2019 Limited Release is crafted by a Château Margaux–trained winemaker in one of Napa Valley’s best vintages this century. And it’s just hitting its stride right now. 

This bottling was originally made for Rutherford Hill’s wine club—with the exceptional value and limited quantities that go along with that status.

Rutherford Hill, founded in 1972, is among the oldest continuously operating wineries in Napa. That history gives them access to some of the best sites in the area, thanks to the relationships they’ve built over the years.

This comes from a site we can’t name in the classical heart of the Stags Leap District AVA, close to the two sites that put Napa on the map: Stags Leap Wine Cellars’ Fay and SLV Vineyard. It’s a heady neighborhood, as Shafer has a site just to the south and Realm is just a quick jaunt up Silverado Trail.

The man in charge of the outstanding grapes is none other than Michael Coode, whose resume includes training at Château Margaux, Paul Jaboulet Aîné, and Rombauer. Needless to say, over the course of a 26-year career, he’s learned how to make top-caliber Cabernet.

In 2019, he was treated to an outstanding growing season, which resulted in a bottle that’s powerful and complex—gilded by florals over an intense core of classic Stags Leap dark cherry and cassis fruit. Now that we’re a half-dozen years from the vintage, it’s blossoming beautifully but has a long life ahead of it.