2023 Off the Cuff Cabernet Sauvignon Calistoga Napa Valley 750 ml

At 1,100 feet above sea level, perched at the peak of a rocky hillside overlooking the vineyard that produced today’s rockstar NDA bottling, one thing became clear as day to us: There are only a handful of sites like this in all of Napa.

Though we can’t disclose the name, this is one of the calling card destinations for premiere Calistoga Cabernet fruit, producing multiple 100-point wines over the years. One iconic Napa winemaker even likened it to Pauillac—a source of tannins so fine, smooth, and sophisticated, they seem to have been ironed into place. Meanwhile, the winemaker who crafted this bottling makes “one of the elite Cabernets in Napa Valley” according to critic Antonio Galloni.

On our recent site visit, the vineyard manager—also a legend in his field—summed up what makes this site so special. “Everything about this vineyard is difficult,” he said, heaving a sigh. “It was difficult to plant. There was barely even a road here 20 years ago to get the equipment in. It’s difficult for the vines to survive. It’s rock all the way down. The only easy thing is watering—we don’t do it!”

Covering a little over a dozen acres, the southwest-facing vineyard is divided into 11 plots, primarily planted to Cabernet with some small sections of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The possibilities for how this nascent estate blend might evolve—in plot selection, fermentation, barrel aging—are endless.

The winemaker, in typical self-effacing manner, called this a “one of one” blending—made in small enough volume that they didn’t mind parting with it in exchange for some easy cash flow, provided the vineyard’s name was kept hidden. We call it “off the cuff.”