2021 Heir Apparent Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Napa Valley 750 ml

When we were starting out in this business, many of our Cabernet finds came from Napa locals who had access to incredible grapes and made wine in quantities too small to attract much attention. Today, years later, discoveries like that are still our favorites because they often hit the sweet spot between terroir and value in a way few others can match. 

Enter the Heir Apparent Cabernet Reserve. We first came across it when an assistant vineyard manager poured it at a small birthday dinner in Napa. We got a small share, while the rest went to local high-end buyers, restaurants, and mailing lists.

The result was a rapid sell-out, and we’ve had to wait two years to nab a share again. Fortunately, the 2021—from a 97-point vintage hailed by Wine Spectator as a “classic”— is as much of a head-turner as our first vintage.

That’s part of what makes this stunning beauty so exciting. It’s a wine that seems to have come out of old-school Napa, produced with a think-local mentality and nose-to-the-grindstone work ethic while being magnificently New World in every sense of the phrase.

We’re not at liberty to share the names of the vineyards Heir Apparent sourced for this Cabernet, but by looking at a map you can get a sense of the truly impressive terroir they tap. Located in Rutherford, the winery lies in close proximity to iconic properties like Scarecrow, Staglin Family Vineyard, and Inglenook. A good chunk of the grapes were sourced from this area, along with some from other primo AVAs in Napa Valley, namely St. Helena and Calistoga.