Stay Home Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 | Staying Home Never Tasted So Good
Stay Home Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 presents a viscous, with a deep purple color. Rich, ripe aromas of blueberry, black cherry, cocoa powder, clove, anise, tilled earth, eucalyptus, and toasted vanilla waft from the glass. Opulent on entry, the full-body expresses ripe flavors of blackberry and blueberry fruit complemented by toasty oak and earthy herbal notes, all carried on fine-grained tannins. The finish is long and laced with fruit and spice in equal measure. A beautiful wine for the price. Drink now–2029.
Red Wine Gems under $35
The Stay Home Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 is a single-vineyard wine crafted from a stunning property—situated between sites owned by Joseph Phelps and Cakebread Cellars—a challenging hillside vineyard planted on an underpinning of volcanic rock, rising triumphantly to face winds off the San Pablo Bay.
Bevan Cellars has crafted single-vineyard wines there. As have Chappellet, Purlieu, and Nicholson Jones. The site’s powerful reds frequently earn 100-point scores and been called “heavenly Napa Valley Cabernet,” by Jeb Dunnuck. If you want to taste one, you’ll need to cough up at least $125.
“When we are at home in Napa, we drink this”
The most compelling quote we heard came directly from the family patriarch, who said of this Cabernet, “when we are at home in Napa, we drink this.”
The 2019 vintage, particularly on these rock-strewn slopes south of Napa, was one for the record books. Plentiful spring rains ceded to a long and beautiful summer. Mild afternoons bathed the vines in gentle sunlight, and the site’s volcanic soils absorbed the heat, radiating it back overnight. Breezes off the bay kept the tight-fisted clusters clean and lively, allowing the Cabernet to ripen at its leisure, developing intense flavor and concentration. ”
A viticultural Shangri-La | Atlas Peak
For us, nothing is more familiar than the romance of Napa Valley Cabernet from estates like this. Resting serenely at 1,800 feet above sea level, the 1,200-acre natural amphitheater is ringed by hills and ridges. Emerging from the garden driveway and taking in the sprawling vistas is akin to a viticultural Shangri-La.
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Even though we essentially live and work in the shadow of Atlas Peak, the remote, volcanic palisade on the eastern flanks of Napa Valley has always retained an eerily beguiling shroud of mystery. Nothing changes, no matter how many times we’ve braved the jagged curves of its infamous Soda Canyon Road. It’s the kind of drive that’s more fun to re-live from the safety of the couch than the white-knuckle confines of the car, truth be told. Especially when the wine itself is so evocative of its scenic origins.
With the estate’s soaring, mountainous essence captured in such a thrillingly extracted, powerhouse $20 bottle. As a result, we can’t think of a better excuse to, well, stay home and drink it in.
