J.H. Wheeler Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2018

J.H. Wheeler is the newly reinvented label from the Araujo family, most famously the former proprietors of Araujo Estate Wines and the Eisele Vineyard. After Bart and Daphne decided to sell their esteemed estate in 2012 to Château Latour, they realized they still wanted to remain active in the world of wine. The two envisioned building a 'perfect' place for crafting world-class Napa Valley wines in a traditional agricultural setting. Enter Chapter Two for the Araujo family and their dedicated team that followed them from their prior estate. In 2014, Bart and Daphne acquired a historic property on Zinfandel Lane in southern Saint Helena. Three years later, they opened their doors with a focus on making wines of balance with meticulous attention to detail, the same as they had in their earlier era. But these offerings also draw inspiration from the classic Napa Valley wines from the 1950s, '60s and '70s. 

Wheeler Farms Winery was first established in 1880 by Charles Wheeler, who built the original winery at the northeast corner of Highway 29 and Zinfandel Lane. The bountiful Wheeler family property included fruit and nut orchards in addition to grapevines. Charles' son, John (J.H.) Wheeler was an early and creative pioneer of viticulture and winemaking in the valley. Bart and Daphne Araujo have continued that legacy with the construction of a new winery just down the road from the original, on a parcel of land that had been in the Wheeler family since 1894. Building on the technological advances that J.H. Wheeler made, the Araujos, with winemaker Nigel Kinsman, have designed a state-of-the-art winery and hospitality space that houses not only their brands J.H. Wheeler and Accendo, but also other ACME favorites including Vice Versa, Grazie a Voi, and TOR. 

Nigel made this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon with fruit sourced from six different iconic Napa vineyards: Beckstoffer Georges III, Vine Hill Ranch, Bettinelli, Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper, Franz Hill, and Sleeping Lady. It is deep purple in color with a rich nose of boysenberry, blackberry, red plum, cocoa powder, violets, and baking spice. Firm, grippy tannins give way to a long fruit-driven finish.