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While Christian Moueix hails from a dynasty built on the finest Merlot-dominated wines, he has always believed in the combination of Cabernet and Napa, and it is fitting that this, essentially third wine of the estate, is represented in a similar manner to its grander siblings. 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, with 9% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot, and matured for 14 months in older French oak barrels, this is surely the best release of Othello to date. Inviting, fresh blackberry aromas, with deeper notes of plum and high notes of cherry, redcurrant and warm citrus, with supporting touches of graphite and crushed dark flowers. This is made to express the Napanook terroir in a style that is approachable on release, it is medium-bodied, with fine sandy tannins, excellent freshness, and long crisp red and dark fruit flavours. 2-9 years.  "Lots of blackberries, dark cherries and hints of orange peel and bark in the aromas. Medium to full-bodied with fine creamy tannins that caress the palate. The tannic tension gives this focus and brightness. Hard not to drink now, but better in two to three years." 96/100 James Suckling "Deep garnet-purple in color, it skips out of the glass with right, cheery notes of fresh blackberries, juicy black plums, and redcurrant jelly followed by hints of graphite, black olives, menthol, and lavender. The medium to full-bodied palate is light on its feet and lively, with soft silt-like tannins and bright crunchy red and black fruit flavors, finishing with a minty lift." 93/100 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent

92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc and a drop of Petit Verdot, aged in French oak (20% new) for 16 months. This is an especially refined Napanook with a luxurious tannin structure, opening with a classy and complex nose of cassis, blood orange, blueberry and cherry fruits, earthier notes of tobacco, truffle, tilled soil and graphite, and a host of exotic wood spices. On the full side of medium-bodied, this has a delightfully persistent rose-like perfume and notes of citrus which add to a sense of brightness and lift; there is richness and great depth here of course, but it is all so well balanced. 2027-2040

Fully 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, the balance Cabernet Franc, aged in French oak barrels (40% new) for 18 months. Wonderful expression and clarity, a nose redolent of fresh cassis, blackberry, black plum and black cherry, cedar, aromatic herbs, mint, and a host of dark flowers. This is full-bodied but carries a real sense of tension and poise; the tannins are ripe and plentiful, and they build, suggesting great cellaring potential. For all its richness and power, it shows great energy and purity, with a fine mineral presence and superb length of flavour. This stands alongside the great Dominus vintages. 2030-2055+

57% Syrah, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petite Sirah, 6% Cabernet Fanc, and more (red and white), aged in French oak (18% new). Deep blue/black fruits, plum, cherry, and chocolate, with a little spicy leather and liquorice, and a touch of cured meat. Full-bodied with a plush texture, bags of complex flavours, fruity and sweet, tangy and savoury, with lovely ripe and juicy tannins. A lot to like! 2-7 years

98% Syrah, 2% Viognier aged in French oak (35% new), and enormously impressive, quietly gathering a cult-following. Incredibly deep and dense, loaded with rich blue-black and purple(!) fruits, lots of pressed flowers, resinous notes, wild and savoury pockets, and so spicy, herby, and fragrant. Full bodied, with great energy and a tangy salinity, it pops with bright red fruit detailing, giving a pleasing lift and added dimensions. It has a long life ahead and will prove to be a rare wine indeed. 5-15 years.

This very limited release of Monte Bello is comprised of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, raised in mainly new American oak, and comes in at 14% vol. Great aromatic quality, floral with a well-defined mix or red and dark berry fruits, cedar, tobacco, and mocha. Structured but the tannins are so fine and polished, the whole is beautifully balanced and shows tremendous length. Monte Bello is always deserving of long-term cellaring. Drink 2030-2050+

This represents the warm days and cool nights of Carneros, offering up notably bright fruit notes of lemon citrus (fruit and peel), pineapple, stone fruits, hints of orange flowers, honey, ginger, toast, and a certain stony minerality. This is, as always, a generously proportioned Chardonnay, it is neatly structured and part of the blend spends time in 40% new French oak. They eschew malolactic fermentation and the acidity is absolutely spot-on! 0-7 years

75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 4% Malbec and 3% Petit Verdot all from Napa and mostly Shafer's vineyards in the Southern Foothills just south of Stag's Leap District. This is a superb TD-9, richly structured thanks to the long growing season and 18 months in new French oak barriques, offering up rich cherry and plum fruits, cassis and raspberry, graphite and dark flowers. It is both luxuriously textured and bright with plentiful, fine tannins and the freshness makes it appealing to drink on release. 0-9 years 

Relentless remains something of an insider's secret, a passion project of winemaker Elias Fernandez, who uses fruit from the estate's ridgetop and foothill vineyards on the southern border of Stag's Leap. 97% Syrah, 3% Petite Sirah this time, raised in new French barriques for 28 months, this really leans into the stylishly cool 2021 vintage and thus brings to mind the character of the Northern Rhône greats: highly defined, deeply perfumed notes of blackberry, rare meat, white pepper, savoury spices, kirsch, plum and chocolate. Velvety and full but with also in part racy and tense, wonderfully pure and incredibly long. Big scores out there for this. 2-9 years

In reference to 'a generation and a half', honouring the founding and enduring working partnership of John and Doug Shafer, One Point Five is the estate's flagship wine. The 2022 release is 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petite Verdot, 3% Merlot, and 2% Malbec aged for 18 months in new French oak barriques. Great purity and clarity of red plum, cassis, hedgerow fruits, rich black cherry, complex oak spices, toast, roasted coffee and bloomy herbs. Full bodied and plush, this is undeniably Napa in its scale and character, showing lovely soft ripe tannins and a long finish. It will drink on release and gobble up a decade with ease. 

The 2021 Hillside Select is a pure Cabernet Sauvignon, produced from Shafer's hillside vineyards in Stag's Leap District and includes their prized blocks: Sunspot, John's Upper Seven, Hitching Post, and Firebreak. The long growing season of warm days and cool nights developed rich, highly concentrated Cabernet with superb aromatic power and clarity of cassis, crisp black cherry, blackberry and red plum fruits, with pressed dark flowers, and notes of cedar, tobacco and dried tea from 28 months in new French oak barriques. Full-bodied, ripe and wonderfully deep with beautiful tannins, a cool mineral vein highlighting the Stag's Leap terroir, lovely acidity and a luxuriously long finish. There are near perfect scores out there for this brilliant edition. 5-25 years

Like the Estate Chardonnay, this is a blend from Bentrock and Radian, aged in French oak (20% new) for 11 months. A very pure cherry Pinot nose, pressed spring flowers, a little leaf and pepper, and black plum. The palate is elegant and expressive, layered with spiced red and black fruits, a touch of blood orange, and wild herbs. 2-7 years

A blend which takes in fruit from Bentrock and Radian, a range of clones and matured in mainly old French oak for 11 months. Medium bodied but racy, tense and bright making it feel tighter, there are notes of patisserie and toast, intense citrus, palpable mineral flavours, and lightly creamy white and stone fruits. Great freshness and balance with superb length of flavour. 0-7 years

Bentrock is on less-exposed gentle slopes at 500-700 feet asl, and this is aged with a little more (40%) new French oak. There is a step up in concentration, breadth, and richness, showing more ample and exotic fruit thanks to the radiating effect of the galet-like stones and slate topsoil. Wonderfully fresh, textured, and complex with a mouthwatering salinity on the long finish. 2-9 years

A mix of clones and 25% new oak here, displaying a gorgeous perfume of sweet cherry and raspberry fruit with a darker personality than the Estate Pinot, more blood orange, a little mint, and spicy cedar. There is a compelling generosity to the mid-palate and some muscle; it’s a deliciously expressive, ripe and supple experience and the balance makes it hard to resist now, but it has so much more to give! 3-12 years

12 months in French oak, just 10% new, and a complex mix of clones and blocks from the wild, exposed Radian vineyard. As is often the case here, there is great detailing throughout with a Northern Rhône-like perfume of dark fruit and dark flowers laced with strawberry, raspberry, soft spices and fragrant herbs. This dazzles with energy and brightness, the palate is wonderfully poised and beautifully balanced with layers and layers of complex, long-lasting flavours. Matt reckons this is a legend in the making. 3-12 years

Radian is an extreme vineyard which rises to 1000m asl, it is very exposed, steep, and moon-like, and brings a steely edge with laser focus. No new oak here this time, it’s all about an electrifying vivacity, purity of fruit and drive. There are fascinating delicate aromatic notes of orange blossom, lemongrass, pithy citrus, and honeysuckle, and tantalising complex mineral flavours with some haunting exotic fruits ahead of a moreish, salt-kissed finish. Patience is required for this to show its potential! 3-12 years