Buselli Wines Buselli Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville 2013

Two words come to mind when thinking about Buselli wines and how to illustrate their story:  heritage and tradition. Throughout our initial tasting, the sibling duo behind Buselli Wines, Maria & Tony, reverently weaved the tale of their parents’ journey to the U.S. and, eventually, the Napa Valley.   From the beginning, the Buselli family has honored its tiny Oakville parcel and is finally realizing a dream of creating outstanding wines that authentically express the character of their land.  

After falling in love and marrying in the town of Frontone within the Marche region of Italy, Rosalia & Italo Buselli made a pilgrimage to North America in 1961 and settled in the city of San Francisco. Longing for the countryside of their hometown, they purchased a small plot on an eastern hillside in Napa Valley in 1988. They planted four and a half acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and half an acre of Sangiovese in 1990. For the first few years, the Busellis spent each weekend and vacation developing the vineyards and building the property’s small home in an enclave of beautiful oak trees. Then, as the vines began bearing fruit, they sold most of the harvest to Cakebread Cellars each vintage, with just a bit saved to the side for the family’s own bottling and enjoyment. Maria and Tony recounted stories of learning to foot stomp the grapes in their youth, often being put to work during harvest and in the winemaking process.  

The growing family continued to trek to Nonno & Nonna’s Napa estate over time. The yearly summer endeavors of canning tomatoes, making marinara, and harvesting and crafting the “house” wine became a welcomed family tradition. The Oakville AVA matured and rose in esteem all the while. After decades of operating solely as grape growers, the Buselli children recognized the potential of their vineyard nestled in this world-renowned micro-region. With next-door neighbors like RUDD Estate, Dalla Valle, and OVID, how could they not? And to guide them into this new chapter of their estate, Maria & Tony selected consulting winemaker Tim Milos (of Immortal Estate fame) to lead the way.

2013 marked the first vintage of Buselli Wines; it was an extraordinary growing season to debut, with critics like Robert Parker proclaiming it as a “no-brainer benchmark” year for Napa Valley. In keeping with tradition and their minimalist approach, they picked the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes by hand in mid-September. After indigenous yeast fermentation, the wine aged for over two years in 60% new French oak barrels. The 100% estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon was bottled unfined and unfiltered in March of 2016 to spend an additional year of bottle aging before release in 2017. The Buselli Vineyard debut Cabernet Sauvignon is a natural time capsule for one of Napa’s most recent vintages to note, laying an example of why Oakville fruit often reigns supreme. Decadent aromas of plum jam, wild blackberries, and currants give way to intricately woven notes of cardamom, dark chocolate, and cedar. Even after nine years, vibrant acidity remains that uplifts the fruit and balances with the time-softened tannins. Savor the persistent finish as it fades gracefully, and ponder on the Buselli family heritage and humble love of the land that has manifested this impeccable Cabernet.