2023 Mythical Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

Aaron Pott is one of the most important winemakers in Napa today. Trained under John Kongsgaard at Newton, he was recruited to Bordeaux to make wine at Château Troplong Mondot—a Premier Grand Cru Classé in Saint-Émilion—before moving on to Château La Tour Figeac and returning to California as head winemaker at Quintessa.

When he struck out on his own, the consulting clients he chose were a who’s-who of serious Napa producers. Food & Wine named him Winemaker of the Year. A bottle with Aaron Pott’s fingerprints on it commands attention—and commands a price to match.

The Mythical label is Pott’s collaboration with Anthony Perliss, whose family has been working with Aaron for well over 15 years.Mythical is their joint venture beyond the estate: a Napa Valley Cabernet assembled from a small selection of prime sites, made with the same care and precision Aaron applies to everything he touches.

For the 2023, that means two vineyards in Rutherford—Star Vineyard and a parcel on Galleron Lane—both of them sitting on some of the most storied ground in the appellation. Rutherford occupies the widest point of the valley floor, where warm days and cool evenings create the conditions for slow, even ripening and the kind of structural complexity that has made this appellation famous.

The best Rutherford Cabernets are known for their dense fruit and their signature dusty, mineral tannins—what winemakers and writers have long called “Rutherford dust”—and the Mythical is firmly in that tradition.

The blend is 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, with seven percent Petit Verdot providing aromatic lift and grip, and a touch of Malbec lending plush, inky depth to the mid-palate. Aging in one-third new French oak adds structure and subtle spice without obscuring the fruit. The result is a wine of genuine presence: a deep, dark ruby core, layered aromas of purple florals, red and black fruit, mocha, and vanilla, and a palate of plum, black cherry, and cassis that is generous and full without being heavy. The tannins are rich and well-integrated, and the finish is long.

Rutherford Cabernet at this level—from a winemaker of Pott’s stature, drawing on sites of this quality—is not a category known for value. The Mythical is a rare exception.