2020 CABERNET
SAUVIGNONS
This pair includes:
- 1 bottle 2020 Lewelling Vineyards Cabernet
- 1 bottle 2020 Lewelling Wight Vineyard Cabernet
Dear Eric,
Greetings from the vineyard! It has been another fast and fruitful harvest here in the Napa Valley and we have already been blessed with fall rains. The dynamic autumn beauty of our valley surrounds us as we look forward to winter and the slow season ahead.
With harvest behind us and the 2022 Cabernets safely in barrel, it is time to offer you our next vintage, the 2020 Lewelling Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignons. We were very fortunate in 2020, again, and in so many ways. When the fire that affected St. Helena started, our grapes were picked and our fermentations were well underway at the winery, and we were able to tend to the wines throughout the traumatic event. Our family has tested and tasted the 2020 extensively and we are confident with the vintage. We also and have been pouring the wines for a couple months now for guests at our tastings and they have been a hit! We are beyond grateful to have this lovely wine in bottle and to continue to tell the whole story of our vineyard and land.
This year we are again offering the advance purchase of our Cabernets in pairs. Each pair includes a bottle of the 2020 Wight Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon and a bottle of the 2020 Lewelling Vineyards Cabernet for delivery in October and November 2023, priced at $114 per 2-bottle pair.
Offered quantities are not guaranteed and orders will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Please order early to avoid disappointment.
The 2020 growing season reminds us of 2015, which was dry and warmer than average, and which also culminated in an early harvest. Low soil moisture resulted in moderate yields with condensed flavor, color, and structure- essentially, the perfect recipe for a remarkable vintage! The 2020’s show exuberant fruit but perhaps the most notable characteristics of the vintage are the luxurious viscosity and an inherent sucrosity, not from residual sugar but from the juice concentration and grape ripeness achieved in the field before harvest.
Picked on September 17th and 25th, the 2020 Cabernet was fermented at 80°F. After pressing in early October, the new wine was racked to 80% new French oak barrels from a variety of coopers to begin 20 months of cellar aging. The 2020s over-deliver with lush red fruit as notes of rich, cherry preserves soar from the glass. Gentle round tannins impress the mid-palate and establish a beautiful lingering finish that thrills the senses. These, together with that classic cabernet spice, create a multi dimensional and layered wine.
We believe these wines are a tremendous value. To quote the Dec. 2021 Jeb Dunnuck review of our previous vintage:
“Riper and more voluptuous, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Wight Vineyard is a selection from the estate vineyard and a smaller production release. It has a wealth of ripe black fruits, smoke tobacco, chocolate, and violets, with more lead pencil and earthy nuances emerging with time in the glass. Concentrated, full-bodied, yet balanced and incredibly pure, it’s another terrific, seamless wine from this estate readers will love. I like it today, but give bottles a year or three and enjoy over the following 20+.”
Jeb Dunnuck December 2021 97+ pts
“The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is brilliant and has classic varietal aromas and flavors of cassis and dark currants as well as tobacco, cedar pencil, espresso, and spring flowers. With medium to full body, a seamless, elegant mouthfeel, silky tannins, and impeccable balance, it’s well worth seeking out and a multi-bottle purchase. I’d certainly be thrilled to have bottles in the cellar. It will have 15-20 years of longevity.”
Jeb Dunnuck December 2021 95 pts
We are happy to offer such highly rated wines at reasonable prices.
