Mount Veeder Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2019

The original wine “brands” were places of origin—Bordeaux, Barolo, Rioja, etc.—and even today, many producers reserve the largest type on their labels for the name of the appellation (or single vineyard) from which their wine hails. At Mount Veeder Winery, the messaging couldn’t be clearer: The place is the brand! When founders Michael and Arlene Bernstein established the first wine estate on Mount Veeder in 1970, the area hadn’t yet been recognized as a distinct AVA—but it certainly is now, as wine lovers have embraced the powerful structure and profound minerality of “mountain grown” Napa Cabernet. This is a piece of Napa Valley history and one of the region’s most enduring Cabernet values—not only can you afford it, you can lay it down for a decade-plus and be richly rewarded.

From terraced vineyards climbing from 1,000 to 1,600 feet of elevation, Mount Veeder’s 2019 always captures the essence of its place perfectly, combining richly layered cassis and black currant fruit with lots of crushed-rock minerality and brambly underbrush notes. It’s a taut, structured, “mountain” style of Cabernet from one of Napa’s great heritage wineries, exquisitely balanced and eminently affordable!