2023 Nichols Winery & Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

All through the cool, wet spring of 2023, Napa winemakers wondered what would be on their way. After a scorcher of the previous year, the vines needed the rain—and the late start didn’t hurt as long as summer wasn’t too cold. Then, through June, July, and August, moderate temperatures reigned, with the perfect amount of warmth, but no excessive heat. It was a winemaker’s dream.

Finally, “as the fruit began rolling in across the valley, there were whispers of a ‘once in a lifetime’ vintage,” wrote The Wine Independent. And no one was more thrilled than Britt Nichols.

Britt’s a skilled winemaker with Jordan, Melka, and Peter Michael on her résumé, and early in the season, she’d struck a handshake deal with the owner of a prime—but tiny—vineyard in St. Helena. After years of waiting, she’d finally moved up the ladder far enough to have a legitimate shot at the fruit.

If there was enough to go around. The entire vineyard is only seven acres, and wines from the site often go for north of $150. She was counting on mother nature to help her out—and when harvest arrived, yields were juuuuust big enough to spare a couple extra bins of grapes. In a near-perfect vintage like ‘23, the results are as exciting as she could ever have hoped for.

Over the last five years, Wine Access members have not been shy about sharing their admiration for these fantastic wines. “Very Caymus like!!” wrote one, while another called a Nichols wine “One of my favorite all time selections from Wine Access!” “Absolutely first rate and great value and can’t wait to buy some more.”