Arcudi Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2018

In 2015 we debuted Tony Arcudi's first vintage under his label with the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon bottling from the Black Sears Vineyard on Howell Mountain. Members loved it, and we were not surprised. With unwavering passion, determination, and an outlandishly impressive pedigree of wines that he has helped to craft, Tony is the winemaker to start collecting if you haven't already. In 2001, propelled by the memory of a life-changing glass of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Tony, a Boston native, packed his bags at the age of thirty-eight and moved across the country to the Napa Valley. His unwavering inspiration led him to apply to college for the first time in his life. He then attended and graduated from the prestigious UC Davis, the top academy for wine studies in the United States. After graduating, Tony worked an internship at the revered Maison M. Chapoutier in France and then as the Assistant Winemaker for Nickel & Nickel back in Napa. In 2009 he met Napa superstar winemaker Heidi Barrett, whose winemaking résumé includes Screaming Eagle, Dalla Valle, Grace Family, Amuse Bouche, Fantesca, Diamond Creek Vineyards, and Kenzo Estate, to name just a few. Tony became Heidi's Assistant Winemaker and right-hand man that same year. Working alongside Heidi gave him incredible experience and boosted his confidence to begin a project in 2012 under his label, Arcudi.

Since then, in addition to becoming the winemaker for Kapcsándy Family Winery and earning three 100-Point Scores (two in his first vintage), his small production, single-vineyard Cabernets under the Arcudi label have continued to garner glowing reviews from critics and loyal followers. One such single vineyard is Stagecoach, where Tony developed a relationship with the property's owner Jan during a harvest internship in 2005. Throughout his time there, he studied the land and became infatuated with a particular block of Cabernet planted with a specific clone not found elsewhere on the property. He encouraged Jan to grow more of this clone, and in ten years-time, Tony received an offer from Jan to purchase Cabernet from a south-facing slope in the Pritchard Hill section of Stagecoach Vineyard. Sure enough, Tony's plot had that exact clone that he found captivating; a clone that traces back to clippings from Château Latour.

In Tony's words, "The 2018 Napa Valley vintage was quite simply an embarrassment of riches. High yields and high quality. Higher than usual natural acidity contributed to the quality resulting in wines with mature ripe tannins and great structure." The 100% Cabernet Sauvignon spent 20 months aging in French oak barrels, two-thirds of which were new. The nose bursts with dark fruits, ripe blueberries, and black plums. While the tannins are soft, they hold a firm structure over the palate for clean acidity. Flavors of bitter chocolate, vanilla bean, and allspice give way to hints of crushed violets and savory.  Tony grasped these grapevines' potential years before their final fruition, and the 2018 Arcudi Stagecoach Cabernet is a pristine example of his innate connection to this parcel and ability to hone from the land a stunning wine.