Riverain Tench Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville 2019

Laurie and Dean Gray began their Napa story when they bought a beautiful home in Rutherford near the Napa River to be able to welcome friends with whom they could share new experiences and create wonderful memories. Along with their business partner, Steve Nordhoff, they quickly gained an appreciation and working knowledge of what it takes to make consistently great wine. The hook was set as they slipped deeper into the fever of the valley by spending countless hours researching vineyards, subsequently landing impressive fruit contracts with some of the Valley's finest vineyards while also signing Thomas Rivers Brown, a truly gifted craftsman as their winemaker. After all, he is the man many consider to be the “100-Point King,” and the one behind so many phenomenal wines such as Schrader, Caterwaul, Selah, Maybach, Swagger, Revana, Rivers-Marie, Pulido~Walker and the list goes on with many more crowd-pleasing wines that hopefully are safely stocked in your cellar. Finding a word to reflect how their lives have evolved over the past decade led the team to a historical French term: RIVERAIN which means "near the river" and also refers to "friendly locals." 

From the Tench Vineyard in eastern Oakville (adjacent to Screaming Eagle and Rudd), the 2019 Riverain Cabernet is a modern blockbuster Oakville Cabernet. Elevage was in 80% new French oak barrels for 20 months producing a beautiful dark and dense wine. The 2019 is, in the words of winemaker Thomas Brown, “the best Riverain he has ever made”! Great farming, a wonderful fruit source, and a fantastic winemaking team, coupled with help from mother nature, have created this impeccable wine. This wine is reflective of the eastern slope of Oakville with luscious black fruit (blackberry and cherry) and leans towards a purple and black opulence. Drink now or cellar for 8 – 15 years. 224 cases produced.