2021 Synthesis Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley is sold out.

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100-point winemaker Keith Emerson hit it out of the park in 2021

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  • 95 pts James Suckling
    95 pts JS
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2021 Synthesis Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

Sold Out

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  • Curated by unrivaled experts
  • Choose your delivery date
  • Temperature controlled shipping options
  • Get credited back if a wine fails to impress

A Big Swing Pays Off

The label simply says “Napa Valley.” But the lineup of vineyards that goes into Martin Ray’s 2021 Synthesis Cabernet boasts a Big Red Machine level of quality.

The backbone of the wine comes from a coveted vineyard on Diamond Mountain—one that supplies Lokoya with fruit for their $400 bottling—and a legendary site on Howell Mountain. It’s matched with heavy-hitter sites in Stags Leap, Rutherford, and Mt. Veeder that are farmed by names like Beckstoffer and protected by strict NDAs. Crafted by 100-point winemaker Keith Emerson, this wine easily merits its flagship status at Martin Ray, as evidenced by its 95-point score from James Suckling. 

The Martin Ray team conceived of the Synthesis bottling as a yin-yang challenge of capturing Napa terroir—a way to step outside their single-vineyard approach. They decided to combine the fruit from high-elevation AVAs like Howell and Diamond Mountain with Valley-floor grapes that show the classic character of Stags Leap and Rutherford.

The result is a Napa Cab with all the dense, bramble-y tones of mountain grapes perfectly complementing the plush richness delivered by the ripe fruit from lower in the Valley. Ever since its inaugural vintage, Synthesis has been a favorite, carefully tracked by Cabernet-loving bargain-hunters vintage to vintage. 

The 2021 is a standout, the result of a strict barrel-by-barrel selection that made this one of the smallest-ever releases under the label. In the final blend, 18 months’ aging in 40% new French oak put a seductive mocha sheen on the wine’s bold blackberry and blueberry aromas and flavors.