The '23 Cab pours a deep garnet at its core, giving way to a brilliant ruby at the edges — there's a real gemstone quality to it in the glass. The nose opens with beef blood and tapenade before the ripe cherries come through, then menthol, dried tobacco leaf, dark chocolate, crushed blackberries, fresh leather, anise, and forest floor underneath it all. On the palate it's baker's chocolate and kirsch up front, crushed blueberries and roasted coffee beans, macerated blackberries, menthol again, chocolate spearmint, black and red currants, fennel, forest herbs, dried sage. It's a wine that's austere and generous at the same time — well structured but supple, too. That iron-beef blood character on the approach moves into a rich, energetic mid-palate, then finishes long and mouthwatering on chocolate, menthol, and dried tobacco leaf, with a dusty, minty note that reminds me of the hillsides around the vineyard. You can taste the cool vintage in the wine's energy and restraint, but there's plenty of fruit density and concentration to counterbalance it. Overall, this one's going to keep getting better with time.

This is a wine that wants something with real fat and char to it. A dry-aged ribeye off the grill is the obvious call, especially with a hard sear, since the beef blood and iron notes in the wine practically ask for it. Braised short ribs or a lamb shoulder that's been in the oven for hours would work just as well, particularly with something dark and savory alongside it, like a mushroom ragout or a bit of tapenade on the side. Given the dried tobacco, sage, and chocolate spearmint running through the palate, dishes with a little smoke or char, think a wood-fired dish, or something finished with fresh herbs, tend to bring those notes forward. If you want to go simpler, a good hard cheese and dark chocolate at the end of the meal will do the same work.

Vintage

2023

Varietal

Cabernet Sauvignon

Appellation

Howell Mountain, Napa Valley

Vineyard block

Black Sears Estate, block 8

Elevation

2,400 feet

Winemaker

Thomas Rivers Brown

Harvest date

October 6, 2023

Bottling date

June 2025

Farming

Organic/Biodynamic (totally uncertified)

Aging

73% new oak, 18 months in barrel post-fermentation, racked twice

ABV

14.9%

Drinking window

2026–Death