Caterwaul Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2022

It's baaack!!! The latest, greatest vintage of Caterwaul Cabernet Sauvignon- a wine that we here at ACME think is truly the cat's meow. A small project between our friends and Napa superstars Thomas Rivers Brown & Matt Hardin, ACME was one of the very first places to offer their Caterwaul Cabernet with its debut vintage in 2014. And ever since, it has been a perennial favorite of ours and our members. This wine is absolutely delicious: a juicy, rich Napa Cabernet that pushes all the brain's primordial sensory "pleasure" buttons.

Though neither one of these guys needs a formal introduction, here is a quick refresher on the greatness for which these two are known. Thomas Rivers Brown is the winemaker for some of Napa and Sonoma's most iconic labels (Schrader Cellars, Outpost, Maybach, Pulido-Walker, and his own Rivers-Marie) and has more than thirty 100-point wines to his résumé. Matt Hardin, a 6th generation Napa native and farmer, is the owner of Matthew Wallace Wines and proprietor of Hardin Vineyard Management, one of the most renowned vineyard management companies in Northern California, responsible for some of the most elite vineyards in the area. The core of the decadent Caterwaul Cabernet Sauvignon is, and most likely always will be, crafted with fruit coming from Matt's Pope Valley estate in the rolling hills east of the valley floor. The balance comes from barrels sourced from Matt and Thomas' wider family of clients. Many of these barrels were destined for Cabernet bottlings that would, in all likelihood, fetch upwards of $150/btl, but, fortunately for us, supply outstripped demand! The result is a stellar wine that hails from prime vineyards located in all four compass points of the Napa Valley: from Calistoga down to Stags Leap. 

"Inky dark purple in the glass, the 2022 Caterwaul lends aromatics of ripe cherry, dusky violets, and baking spice. The near-sweetness of roasted meats on the nose causes a mouthwatering reaction. Rich, opulent, and full-bodied, the initial impact rewards the sip with a coating of dense marionberry compote, toasted oak, and baking chocolate. Fine tannins frame and blend with balanced acidity to create a lasting finish. This wine is clearly ready to shine right out of the gate and has the horsepower to drink well into the future if a bottle can be tucked away in the cellar." Winemaker notes