Grape Culture Oakview Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville 2021

When we first heard about Grape Culture, owner and winemaker Collin Cranor was sitting in ACME's gallery enjoying an IPO Tasting and admiring our famous wall of Napa Valley launches and legends.  When booking this tasting for old winemaker friends, little did we know that Collin was imagining his burgeoning brand on this very wall.  That day, he introduced his debut brand, Grape Culture, to ACME and shared his dedication to producing site-driven Napa Valley wines.  Grape Culture represents Collin's profoundly personal gamble to put everything on the line by moving his successful and established family winery (Nottingham Cellars) from Livermore to Napa Valley to shoot his shot.

Collin grew up in the East Bay, in Castro Valley, in a family that loved and appreciated wine. As a child, he vividly remembers playing in the sun-dappled vineyards of Duckhorn, Silver Oak, and Cakebread while his parents enjoyed an idyllic afternoon of wine tasting in the Napa Valley. His father was always considered the wine guru of his family and circle of friends and helped instill a love of wine in Collin. So, after dabbling in winemaking for several years, and with Dad’s encouragement, in 2009, Collin founded Nottingham Cellars in the nearby promising wine community of Livermore Valley. Grapes had long been grown in the area, but Collin’s wines helped foster awareness of the region in publications like the Wine Enthusiast. And they garnered many accolades. But, as for many winemakers, Napa continued to loom large in both his memory and psyche as it represented the pinnacle of viticultural and winemaking achievement. So, in 2018, Collin hired his talented friend Craig Ploof as Director of Winemaking and relocated his family to Napa to found Grape Culture.

As Grape Culture continues to evolve, we’ve watched in delight as their fruit sources have grown in stature. This debut Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from the Oakview vineyard. Located in the northeast corner of the famed Oakville AVA, its proximity to the eastern hills provides volcanic deposits to this extremely gravelly site. With just a touch of Petit Verdot blended in for added power and 22 months spent in 80% new French oak, this wine absolutely overdelivers!  Notes of blueberry, cassis, cocoa, and pine set the stage for a palate that is broad and textural with firm tannins and a delightful leap of acidity toward the finish. Give this wine a good decant to truly enjoy all it has to offer.