Best of Napa

2026 is an important year for the folks at Brandlin Estate because Henry Brandlin first planted grapes on Mount Veder 100 years ago. Exhibiting soft lemon-lime, mango, white peach, light kiwi, green apple and apricot with floral aromatics, there is also a line of minerality running throughout this wine. Aged 11 months in oak barrels gives this wine a tactile experience, a creaminess and a softness making it a great appetizer wine, or just to sip by itself.
ORIGIN: Mt. Veeder, Napa Valley. ALCOHOL: 14%.

Rich and bold, this Cabernet is in the vein of “new school” Napa Cabernet; which is to say unashamedly rich, forward fruit, potent oak, and a no holds barred take on a formidable Napa cab. That’s not to say it isn’t well structured, because this certainly is, and Turnbull is well-known for making structured Cabernets. In point of fact they have been doing so for a long time, and I have reviewed many of their wines over the years. This offers very ripe blackberry and blueberry fruit, plum, noticeable oak notes, including vanilla, sandalwood, and slightly sweet charred oak.