Memento Mori Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2019

Memento Mori is a limited-production wine brand from Napa Valley founded in 2010 by three childhood friends, Hayes Drumwright, Adriel Lares and Adam Craun. They have committed themselves to crafting sophisticated wines of tremendous balance, honesty and profundity. The name, Memento Mori, taken from an old Latin philosophy that reminds us of our mortality and the inevitability of death, is instead interpreted by the founders as Remember to Live - a reminder that we have to make the most out of life. This proverb rings especially true for Hayes who, at twenty years old and during the peak of his athletic career as a Division-1 swimmer at Boston University, was diagnosed with cancer. Fortunately, he overcame his disease within two years, and his experience drastically altered the way he interacted with the world. In his words, “If a doctor, in a single sentence, can take away everything from you, then there is no reason to hold off on experiencing the best things in life.” And so, in his quest to live life fully, Hayes and his closest friends went forth to create one of the most sublime luxury Cabernet brands to have hit the market in the last decade.

“Another wine that will be a candidate for perfection in 7-8 years, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon comes from a mix of sites (Dr. Crane, Las Piedras, Vine Hill Ranch, Weitz, and Oakville Ranch) and spends 22 months in new barrels. Reminding me of the 2016, it has remarkable purity in its cassis and darker fruits as well as some obvious minerality, full-bodied richness, perfect balance, and building, subtle notes of violets, graphite, and chocolate. A brilliant wine, hide bottles for 4-6 years and enjoy over the following two decades or more.” ~Jeb Dunnuck, 99 pts.