2022 CourAvant Proprietary Red Wine St Helena 750 ml

Zinfandel Lane runs east–west through the heart of St. Helena, but it's the western end—where the valley floor gives way to the gently sloping alluvial fans at the base of the Mayacamas—that commands the most attention. The soils here are gravelly loam, well-drained and deep-rooted, the kind that push vines to work for their fruit. This is benchland Napa at its most classic, and it's where CourAvant has quietly farmed their estate vineyard for over three decades.

The vines were planted in the early 1990s on 5C rootstock—Merlot Clone #3 and Cabernet Sauvignon Clone #7, classic selections for this part of the Valley. Trained on quad cordons to balance growth and maximize sun exposure, they've had more than 30 years to find their footing. Mature Napa benchland vines don't announce themselves. They just produce small, concentrated berries that taste unmistakably of where they're from.

Winemaker Mitch Cosentino crafted the 2022 at Steel Canyon Winery in Napa. Cosentino is one of Napa Valley's most decorated figures—a self-taught winemaker who founded his eponymous winery in 1980, produced the first wine ever designated a Meritage, and won the André Tchelistcheff Winemaker of the Year award. His approach with the CourAvant fruit is precise without being fussy—he lets the vineyard do the talking.

The result is a wine that's lush and structured in equal measure. Aromas of violet, dark cherry, and plum give way to layers of licorice, cassis, and graphite. The palate is dense and generous, with a juicy midpalate, substantial tannin, and a finish with real persistence. It drinks beautifully now and has the architecture to reward cellaring well into the next decade.

St. Helena produces some of Napa's most decadent Cabernet—the appellation runs warm, with only occasional morning fogs and long, even ripening seasons. The benchland sites along the Mayacamas base temper that warmth just enough, the elevation and drainage keeping the fruit fresh and the tannins defined rather than soft. It's a distinction that shows clearly in the glass.

CourAvant's wines are sold primarily through high-end restaurants and aren't widely distributed. We work directly with the producer, which is the only reason a bottle like this ends up outside a restaurant wine list.