2013 Antica Estate by Antinori Cabernet Sauvignon Atlas Peak Napa Valley 750 ml

The Pinnacle of Piero Antinori’s Patient Efforts in California

In 1971, Piero Antinori shocked Tuscany when he crafted the first vintage of barrique-aged Sangiovese blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. It was drawn off hillside parcels of a 57-hectare property purchased by his grandfather in 1900. He named that Bordeaux blend “Tignanello.”

Just four years later, Antinori’s passion for Bordeaux varieties pushed him to further blur the boundaries of Tuscan blends. From a vineyard adjacent to Tignanello, Antinori continued his experiments with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. The first vintage of that blend from the 1975 harvest bore the name of the vineyard from which it was drawn — “Solaia."

During a 1985 trip to Napa Valley, Piero Antinori was shown a 1,200-acre estate, situated on a high plain between 1,500 and 1,800 feet in elevation, in the eastern mountains of Napa Valley. Almost as immediately, Piero had formed a partnership to purchase the property, and named it Antica, an acronym for “Antinori in California.”

For nearly two decades, the Antinoris developed the property cautiously, conducting countless soil samples to determine which Bordeaux varieties and clones to plant on each of the dozens of designated vineyard blocks. They eventually settled on a series of clones direct from nurseries in Bordeaux.

Antinori’s studies revealed that Antica sits in a unique nested valley on Atlas Peak, where a cooler microclimate is more akin to the mild growing seasons of Bordeaux. The Foss Valley, as it’s known, acts as a wind tunnel, sucking up cooler air from the San Pablo Bay through Milliken Creek just south of Antica. Cleansing breezes funnel through Antica’s vineyards, which bottom out at 1,400 feet. Still well above the fogline and in direct sunlight, those cooling winds help keep temperatures from spiking, while acids remain firm and vibrant.

The 2013 Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon is a mesmerizing wine — the culmination of decades of clonal research and the confluence of Robert Parker’s “greatest vintage in 37 years.” It is the pinnacle of Antinori’s patient efforts in California. One year after landing on the cover of Wine Spectator, the release of the 2013s wowed Robert Parker and James Suckling, a new milestone for Antinori's pursuit of perfection in California.

The 2013 Antica is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and is true to its Atlas Peak origins. Brilliant purple-black in hue. Voluptuous aromas of ripe black fruits, violets, black cherry, and plum, generously framed with new-wood cedar. Parker calls it “beautifully elegant, stylish,” “impressively well-crafted,” and “drinkable now,” but says it will “evolve nicely for another 15-20 years.” Suckling hones in on its “vivid and silky” mouthfeel. Ultra-concentrated, gushing with mountain blueberry, doused with sweet crème de cassis. Packed with plenty of muscular Atlas Peak tannins and terrific acidic backbone.

94 points from Parker and Suckling. $60 on release. Just $45 today, for the BEST Antica produced to date, from the Tuscan trailblazer’s stunning Atlas Peak estate.