2019 MC4 Cabernet Sauvignon Martin & Croshaw Vineyard St. Helena

2019 MC4 Cabernet Sauvignon Martin & Croshaw Vineyard St. Helena

with No Comment $40-$50Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaSt. HelenaUSA

MC4

Cabernet Sauvignon
Martin & Croshaw Vineyard
St. Helena 2019

2019 MC4 Cabernet Sauvignon Martin & Croshaw Vineyard St. Helena

In a valley dominated by grand estates, MC4 stands apart. Drawn from a single acre of organically farmed vines tucked into St. Helena’s prized western bench, the 2019 MC4 is the kind of wine that reminds you how powerfully a tiny vineyard can speak. It’s a micro-cuvée born of obsession, precision, and a site so focused that every bottle feels like a direct transmission from the land itself.

What gives MC4 its unmistakable character is the vineyard’s tight geographic focus: a gravelly, west-side slope warmed by afternoon sun and cooled by drifting canyon breezes. Each vine seems to express its own nuance of dark fruit, spice, and mineral tension, resulting in a Cabernet that feels less blended than harmonized; one voice composed of countless subtle inflections.

Shaping this fruit is winemaker Victoria Coleman, whose training spans Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars under Michael Silacci to Château Mouton Rothschild. Her touch brings both restraint and clarity, guiding the fruit toward a style that marries Napa Valley richness with a Bordeaux-like sense of proportion. The result is a wine that feels confident, polished, and remarkably complete.

MC4
Cabernet Sauvignon
Martin & Croshaw Vineyard
St. Helena 2019
Retails at: $75

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“Coming from a small, organically farmed vineyard to the north of Ehlers Lane in St. Helena, MC4’s 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon has a medium to deep garnet-purple color and vibrant scents of redcurrant jelly, kirsch and black raspberries, plus hints of menthol, cedar chest, rose oil and pencil shavings with a touch of cinnamon stick. The medium to full-bodied palate shimmers with bright, energetic red and black berry layers, framed by ripe, fine-grained tannins and exhilarating freshness, finishing long and perfumed.”

94+ Points

2018 Leto Exceptional Selection Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena

2018 Leto Exceptional Selection Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena

with No Comment $30-$40Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaSt. HelenaUSA

Leto

Exceptional Selection
Cabernet Sauvignon
Saint Helena 2018

2018 Leto Exceptional Selection Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena

Some of Napa’s most extraordinary wines are born far from the spotlight. The 2018 Leto Exceptional Selection Cabernet Sauvignon comes from a small, unassuming vineyard on Pratt Avenue in St. Helena, where half-century-old vines yield fruit of remarkable depth. This is not a wine made for acclaim, but for integrity: a deeply personal statement from a veteran winemaker who understands that restraint, time, and patience reveal more than ambition ever could.

From these weathered vines comes fruit that speaks in fine detail rather than volume. The 2018 vintage captures St. Helena’s subtle contrasts of warm valley-floor ripeness layered over cool evening structure. Twenty-one months in French oak added definition, not disguise. It’s a Cabernet that feels sculpted by nature, not built by human hands.

After years of quiet rest, the 2018 Exceptional Selection feels perfectly composed, its elements aligned. The fruit hums with energy, the tannins have softened into velvet, and the finish stretches on with calm assurance. It’s a rare opportunity to experience a wine not just at its peak but in its prime.

Leto
Exceptional Selection
Cabernet Sauvignon
Saint Helena 2018
Retails at: $125

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“The Leto 2018 Exceptional Selection Cabernet Sauvignon shines with opulence and elegance, beginning with aromas of blooming lavender, blackberries, plums, dark chocolate, cloves, cedar, and sage. On the palate, the wine has concentrated flavors with depth and length, ranging from fresh black fruits, flourless dark chocolate cake, savory notes, allspice, and graphite. The finish is long and seamless, and the wine is stunning at the present moment and shows indications of a wine capable of extended aging in the cellar.” 

97 Points

2022 White Lane Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena

2022 White Lane Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena

with No Comment $70-$80Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaSt. HelenaUSA

White Lane

Cabernet Sauvignon
St. Helena 2022

2022 White Lane Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena

Some wines feel destined from the start, their stories already written in the soil long before a single grape is harvested. The 2022 White Lane is one of those rare discoveries. A wine born from a hidden pocket of Napa Valley, where vines quietly thrive along a secluded lane near V. Sattui. Once a closely guarded secret, shared only among those who knew where to look, this singular bottling now emerges for an audience small enough to count on one hand: just 72 cases made. 

At its core, White Lane captures everything that defines St. Helena Cabernet Sauvignon at its most expressive. It’s a pure, unblended statement of variety and place. Power and precision are held in perfect tension, with vibrant fruit and lifted freshness underscoring its depth. 

Thirty-one months of aging in oak have shaped the wine with patience and restraint. The result is a Cabernet of remarkable finesse. It is both commanding and composed. White Lane is the embodiment of why many of us fall in love with Napa Cabernet in the first place. Not for its power alone, but for the rare and unforgettable beauty that lies beneath.

White Lane
Cabernet Sauvignon
St. Helena 2022
Retails at: $90

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“The 2022 White Lane St. Helena Cabernet Sauvignon offers a focused nose of briary mountain blackberries, black currants, crushed stone, French lavender, and freshly turned moist earth. On the palate, it’s full and powerful, slightly riper than the 2021, with dense, compact black berry fruit and a fresh finish. A thread of liquid saline complexity adds depth, complemented by a subtle oak hint. The tannins are smooth and supple, making it approachable now, yet structured for aging over a decade. Balanced and precise, it’s a strong expression of St. Helena terroir.”

95 Points

2019 Conn Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection Napa Valley

2019 Conn Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection Napa Valley

with No Comment $40-$50Atlas PeakCabernet SauvignonHowell MountainKevin VogtMt VeederNapaOakvilleRutherfordSpring MountainSt HelenaSt. HelenaUSA

Conn Creek

Cabernet Sauvignon
Special Selection
Napa Valley 2019

2019 Conn Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection Napa Valley

Conn Creek’s 2019 Special Selection delivers a commanding portrait of Napa Valley’s most grand terroirs: Rutherford, Oakville, Howell Mountain, Atlas Peak, Spring Mountain, Mt. Veeder, and St. Helena, each woven together with meticulous precision. This wine serves as a sweeping symphony of the valley’s finest, where each site contributes its voice to a blend that’s layered, pedigreed, and full of vitality.

Winemaker Elizabeth DeLouise-Gant, with experience at Beaulieu, Tamber Bey, and Stag’s Leap, brings a steady hand and sharp instinct to the blend. Her 2019 Special Selection, a blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon with precise touches of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec, showcases her gift for balancing bold structure with lifted aromatics and polish.

The 2019 Special Selection is a culmination of Conn Creek’s deep relationships with Napa’s most esteemed growers, offering a blueprint of Napa’s greatness distilled through the winery’s decades-long commitment to meticulous vineyard selection. Every bottle captures a moment in time, layered with the legacy of sites that rarely share the same label.

Conn Creek
Cabernet Sauvignon
Special Selection
Napa Valley 2019
Retails at: $150

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“The Conn Creek ‘Special Selection’ is a blend of appellations that were among the original sources of the estate (established in 1973) and from sites around Napa Valley. The idea is to frame a classically fashioned snapshot of Napa Cabernet through the eyes of Elizabeth DeLouise-Gant, who has been making the wines since 2017. Previously, she worked at Beaulieu Vineyard, Tamber Bey, and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. This 2019 is over a classic vintage expression, with fruit from Mt. Veeder, Oakville, St. Helena, Howell Mountain, Rutherford, Atlas Peak, and Spring Mountain AVAs. Very pretty blackberry fruit aromas, nuanced by tobacco, cedarwood, and graphite. Medium to full-bodied with tobacco-laced blackberry fruit, Bing cherry, and spiced plums, with delicious vanilla-kissed sweet oak spices and an undercurrent of mocha with fine-grained tannins and a finish of chalky minerality.”

95 Points

2021 White Lane 1005 Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena

2021 White Lane 1005 Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena

with No Comment $70-$80$80-$90Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaSt. HelenaUSA

White Lane 1005

Cabernet Sauvignon
St. Helena 2021

2021 White Lane 1005 Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena

Certain wines emerge unexpectedly, while others seem fated to cross our paths. The 2021 White Lane 1005 St. Helena Cabernet Sauvignon belongs to the latter group—a remarkable find and among the most captivating revelations of the year. With a mere 76 cases crafted, its scarcity matches its allure, drawn from a vineyard quietly nestled along unassuming White Lane near V. Sattui Winery. Once a closely guarded treasure, savored solely by family and trusted companions, it now opens its doors—but only to a fortunate handful.

This Cabernet Sauvignon portrays a vivid expression of its grape, reflecting all that distinguishes the 2021 vintage—a season Wine Spectator praises for shaping Napa’s contemporary character, where freshness, vibrancy, and power align with striking precision. From the initial taste, it reveals itself with lucidity, effortlessly weaving richness with vibrancy while echoing the deep-rooted heritage of St. Helena’s landscape.

Matured for 37 months in neutral oak, it strikes a balance of authority and grace, unveiling a tapestry of lush dark fruit, smooth tannins, and a sophistication that resonates long after the glass is empty. Through careful cultivation and an exceptional year, something rare and distinctive has emerged—a wine once hidden, now poised for discovery.

White Lane 1005
Cabernet Sauvignon
St. Helena 2021

Retails at: $90

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“The 1005 White Lane Saint Helena Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 offers a compelling aromatic profile, showcasing fresh blackberries and red currants alongside subtle hints of milk chocolate and violets. A distinct minerality, evocative of wet slate, adds complexity. The palate is concentrated and focused, displaying a linear structure. Flavors of black currants and black raspberries dominate. While initially reserved, the wine opens with aeration, gaining considerable weight and revealing a core of remarkably penetrating fruit—a characteristic rarely encountered. The finish is exceptionally long and memorable. This is a truly impressive Cabernet Sauvignon, a “WOW” wine from beginning to end.”

96 Points

2018 Vineyard 29 Cru Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2018 Vineyard 29 Cru Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $60-$70Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaSt. HelenaUSA

VINEYARD 29

CRU CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2018 NAPA VALLEY

2018 Vineyard 29 Cru Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Vineyard 29 utilizes a combination of Old-World techniques and the most advanced methods available in their constant pursuit of perfection. These processes include everything from gravity flow tanks, an optical sorter that can be programmed algorithmically, to a control room that monitors the conditions inside the vineyards, caves, and winery. They center their philosophy on Elevage, which translates to raising the wine from grape to bottle. The 2018 Cru Cabernet perfectly portrays the character of the Napa Valley terroir, and as Jeb Dunnuck writes, it does so with “notable purity, balance, and length.”
 
The wine team thoughtfully constructed the 2018 release from fourteen vineyards, with their core composed of parcels surrounding the winery’s Estate in St Helena. The winemaking team hand-selects the balance of fruit from different parts of the Valley, creating a well-rounded and richly layered Cabernet that’s effortlessly balanced. 
 
Vineyard 29 Winemaker Keith Emerson has crafted this wine since the inaugural vintage in 2005. He gained invaluable experience while working alongside Philippe Melka on the winery’s high-scoring Estate wines through 2017, while Philippe was consulting winemaker. At under $100, this is a steal in terms of the sheer quality of what’s inside the bottle.
 
VINEYARD 29
CRU CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2018 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $75
 
Your Price: $69.99
 
 
“Plums, Asian spices, tobacco, and lead pencil notes emerge from the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Cru, which hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a beautifully polished, elegant texture, and outstanding length. This is another gorgeous 2018 displaying notable purity, balance, and length as well as richness. It can be drunk any time over the coming 15+ years.”
94 Points
#28 Top Napa Cabernet Under $100
 
“The 2018 CRU Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon holds nothing back upon opening. Grilled meat, cocoa and Bing cherry perfume a beautifully expressive nose. Pulling from multiple vineyards throughout Napa Valley, this wine truly encompasses the incredible diversity that our valley has to offer. Firm tannins and structure house notes of cassis, plums, black peppercorns and fresh tobacco leaf. This wine finishes with a long, weighty finish that never loses its focus and remains pure throughout.”
2018 Mica Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2018 Mica Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $100 and overCabernet SauvignonCoombsvilleOakvilleSt HelenaSt. HelenaUSAYountville

MICA 

CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2018 NAPA VALLEY 

2018 Mica Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

 
When we can access it, Buccella is a pillar on our reserve list in the shop, and MICA is the second wine from Buccella. However, in 2018 the quality of fruit was so stupendous that referring to MICA as a second wine, doesn’t seem to fit… The 2018 vintage shows more like a first wine from a top Estate, with deep, penetrating fruit, sharply defined details, and stunning balance. At around 1/2 the price of Buccella, this wine mimics a much pricier wine.   
 
Buccella and Mica are made by Landon Donley, who gained experience interning for Australian powerhouse Mollydooker before joining Spottswoode Estate as the assistant winemaker. At Spottswoode, he learned to craft wines worthy of 100 Point scores, and everything he absorbed there is transparent in a glass of 2018 Mica. 
 
The 2018 Mica stitches together fruit from Oakville, Yountville, St Helena, and Coombsville in a way that embellishes the best qualities from each iconic AVA, without losing sight of balance. The wine checks in at 90% Cabernet, balanced with Merlot and Malbec, and with just over 500 cases produced, I wouldn’t hesitate to secure yours…
 
MICA 
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2018 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $120
 
Your Price: $115
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“The 2018 Mica Cabernet Sauvignon from Buccella is a masterpiece. It begins with a deep nose of blueberry cobbler, English rose petals, sweet vanilla and iron. The palate explodes with a mixed basket of fresh red, black and blue berries, beautifully balanced by toasty oak. The finish is long, concentrated, penetrating and makes your mouth water, leaving it begging for the next sip. Drink now to 2032.” 95 Points