2016 Emerson Brown Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

Stunning Value Cabernet From Two Napa Masters

“Readers looking for values in great, world-class Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa should look no further than Emerson Brown,” raved Robert Parker. This label is a joint effort from Emerson—author of the perfect, 100-point 2013 Vineyard 29 Cabernet—and fellow heavy-hitter Brian Brown, the former winemaker of Round Pond.

“Emerson Brown's Napa Valley Cabernet is often a terrific value, as it is once again in 2016,” added Vinous’s Antonio Galloni. “There is so much to like here.” With those sorts of plaudits, you could easily expect this bottle to top $100. Emerson’s specialty is crafting 100-point wines for everyday drinking and this elegant, ruby-hued Cab, which bursts with red raspberry, black currant and dried herbs, delivers complexity for half the standard price.

Before starting Emerson Brown, both Keith Emerson and Brian Brown had experience working in California viniculture at the highest levels, Emerson with mentor Philippe Melka and Brown while working at Trefethen Vineyards. But the boom harvest of 2005—which yielded surplus fruit at III Michaels Vineyard, an iconic Oakville vineyard belonging to Brown’s father—convinced the two young winemakers to try their hand at producing excellent wines that also boasted a mouthwatering price-to-quality ratio.

While heavy, oaky reds were all the craze at the time, Emerson and Brown knew they wanted to focus more on fruit-forward, fresh, expressive Cabernets that could be enjoyed without extensive aging. Emerson favored an approach that stressed extremely gentle and meticulous handling of grapes throughout the entire process, ensuring delicate fruit purity. They were able to take advantage of the state-of-the-art optical sorter and gravity flow at Vineyard 29, achieving the same level of sophistication as blue-chip Napa wineries. Fruit sources included the Oakville III Michaels Vineyard and top growers in Calistoga, Rutherford, and Coombsville.

Aged in tight-grained French oak barrels, this Cabernet displays graceful balance and powerful red cherry aromatics thanks to laborious efforts of Emerson and Brown, as well as the banner 2016 vintage. James Suckling called it an “outstanding vintage for reds,” putting it among the top years of the last decade: “We believe 2016 compares beautifully in quality to the other excellent vintages such as 2012, 2014, and 2015.”

Without question one of the top values of the vintage, you can cellar this beauty for 10 years or drink now for its youthful opulence. For Napa bargain-hunters, Emerson Brown is a can’t miss deal.