For the third year in a row, Trefethen's gorgeous Estate Cabernet Sauvignon has garnered a 97 point score with Decanter, Great Britain's top wine periodical. After tasting this with my sales rep last week, I am inclined to agree with them. This is a grand, finely detailed, and classic Napa Cab with a ton of style and grace.
If I were to taste this blind, I would totally guess Bordeaux, and not just any Bordeaux. I'd actually call it as a Classified Growth Margaux. I'm not kidding, as this is an elegant and deceptively powerful Cab that lives up to the "iron fist in a velvet glove" description that fine Margaux is often know for. I snagged my distributor's last 10 cases, and we are running this at one of the best prices in the country through Christmas Eve 2022, if it lasts that long.
2019 Trefethen Cabernet Sauvignon Oak Knoll
97 points Decanter, 95 points Yours Truly
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Built in 1886, John and Janet Trefethen began restoring what is today the Trefethen winery in 1973. A national historic landmark and the only wooden gravity-flow winery in the Napa Valley, Trefethen is also one of Napa's largest estate wineries, with its 600 acres of vineyards surrounding the winery. The estate is still family-owned and operated, and they have been on a serious hot streak with their Estate Cabernet Sauvignon the past few vintages.
Decanter had this to say about Trefethen's monumental 2019 Cab. "Dark, sleek cassis fruit, ripe and layered, with notes of tobacco leaf, coffee bean, mocha and dried violet. Pretty, floral palate with loads of flavor and nuance. Ripe tannins, refreshing acidity and lovely eucalyptus and menthol on the lingering finish. A great example of the power and freshness of Cabernet Sauvignon. Plenty of time ahead. Blend : 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot, 4% Malbec." Looking back at my tasting notes, they are nearly identical to Decanter's.
What I love especially about this wine is it's "old school Napa" character. There was a time when more elegant, perfumed, and finely detailed Cabs were the preferred style. This is counter to the "bigger and oakier is better" style that many wineries go for these days. While we stock both styles of Cab at Table Wine, I much prefer the Trefethen style, as it is more interesting to my palate and it makes for a much better food wine.
I know lots of you are planning grand Christmas and holiday meals, and if beef or lamb are involved, this is the wine you want. It is drinking wonderfully now, especially with a 30 to 60 minute aeration, but it will also age and improve for at least a decade. I wouldn't wait until Christmas Eve to pick this one up, as I predict it will be gone by then.
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Josh Spurling
Owner, Operator, Wine Monger
Table Wine Asheville