2018 Hendry "Estate" Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Aromas of red and black currants, gravel and plums. Medium-to full-bodied with velvety tannins. Nice depth and intensity, without being overdone. Rather soft and subtle in its approach. Bright fruit and fresh herbs. Nicely done.

A great bottle of Cabernet from a small, authentic, old-school, family owned estate in Napa...an endangered species for sure! Hendry has long been one of my go-to producers from Napa, I have always admired the quality of the wines and the excellent values they represent. In July of this year my family and I bought a house in Napa and moved to wine country! All of a sudden, Hendry was my neighbor! Their estate wraps around Alston Park Open Space, just to the northwest of downtown of Napa, and is literally a 5 minute walk from my house! Recently I got to spend a little time with Mike Hendry who runs the estate. We talked about the history of the property, how his Grandmother used to supply grapes to Robert Mondavi and Opus one from their 1970's planted Cabernet Sauvignon blocks. We discussed the complex soils on the estate, a mix of ancient ocean floor and decomposed volcanic rocks from neighboring Mount Veeder. The winery sits directly on a fault line. In the 2014 earthquake that shook Napa, the ground literally shifted on the estate, you can see a bend in the vine rows in some blocks where the fault moved 10-12 inches. They have soil pits where you can see the actual fault running through the earth. The more I learnt about Hendry the more I became enamored with the place and the wines. It's an increasingly rare kind of property in Napa; the family that looks after this place generation after generation issues forth honest, transparent wines from it's old vines and rugged soils and the know they have something truly special. The wine itself is a big, rich Cabernet but not like many modern, overly polished, sweet, jammy styles. The intensity here comes from the old, low-yielding, largely dry-farmed vines. Traditional vinification without over manipulation. Dark plum, blackcurrant, elderberry, bay laurel, crushed rock, leather, pipe tobacco, iron filings, smoky oak. Rich and complex, structured but not excessively so. Just a pure, timeless expression of Napa Cabernet. I'm making this my #1 wine recommendation for the holiday season - it's truly that good.