Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 Wappo Hill Pinnacle of Napa Valley

The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Wappo Hill emerges from Jean-Charles Boisset's home vineyard. Deep, layered and vibrant, the 2022 is wonderfully explosive right out of the gate. Blackberry, sage, menthol, lavender and licorice burst from the glass. Bruising tannins need time to soften, but this is a commendable effort for the year.

A complex nose of dark cherries, wild berries, currants, rosemary, dried thyme, earth and dried spices. Full-bodied at full throttle with plush tannins and an intense array of wild berries, herbs and baking spices mixing together on the palate. It’s vibrant with tension and a precise frame of tannins keeping everything together. Chewy at this stage with a long, developing finish. Try from 2026.

Boisset Collection's Stephanie Putnam crafted this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Bright and lifted aromatics of blackberry and black cherry fruit with fine cedarwood spices. Full-bodied with classic Cabernet notes of graphite, black cherry, and spiced plums. Assertive tannins are superfine, underscored by a fine thread of lacy acidity. Tobacco, sandalwood, and leather nuances intermix with purple florals and blueberry. Sourced from a vineyard in west Yountville and one in the Stags Leap District. Named for Wappo Hill, the present-day site of Jean Charles Boisset and Gina Gallo’s residence, but historically, the ancient apex of the Wappo Indian lands, and the name pays homage to their heritage. Aged 19 months in 24% new French oak.

This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon was crafted by Boisset Collection's Stephanie Putnam. Incredibly fresh and vibrant with fragrant red florals and a beautiful streak of ironstone minerality framed by a dusty tannin backbone. Medium to full-bodied, balanced, and expressive of pure boysenberry fruit, tinged with baking spices and herbs. Complete and impressive. Sourced from a vineyard in east Yountville and one in Stag’s Leap District. Named for Wappo Hill, the present-day site of Jean Charles Boisset and Gina Gallo’s residence, but historically, the ancient apex of the Wappo Indian lands, and the name pays homage to their heritage. Aged 19 months in 100% French oak. 175 cases produced.

A killer bottle of wine, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon comes from a blend of two vineyards, one in Yountville and one in Stags Leap. It spent a whopping 47 days on skins and 19 months in 26% new French oak. Pure class, this classic Napa Cabernet offers a great nose of darker currants, leafy tobacco, chocolate, and assorted herbal, earthy nuances and is full-bodied, ripe, and opulent on the palate, with moderate acidity and beautiful, velvety tannins. The balance is spot on, and this sexy, seamless beauty is going to evolve for two decades if properly stored.

Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the fruit for this new wine came from two sites situated around Wappo Hill, a former vantage point peak that sits between Yountville and Stags Leap District. The Yountville vineyard is in the northeast portion of the AVA, just off of State Lane and to the north of Wappo Hill, while the Stag’s Leap vineyard is just south of Wappo Hill. The wine was aged in French oak barrels, 25% new. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon waltzes out of the glass with gregarious scents of stewed black cherries, crème de cassis and mulberries, plus suggestions of kirsch, red roses, black tea and eucalyptus with wafts of dusty soil and garrigue. The full-bodied palate bursts with precocious exotic spice notes complementing the bold black fruit preserves, framed by velvety tannins and a lively backbone, finishing long with loads of minerally sparks. -Lisa Perrotti-Brown