2016 Forman Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

Finding the top insider wines in Napa Valley requires that we know the names behind the biggest names—the ground-breaking vintners who might not be quite as famous as the brands they built, but deserve the same reverence: Think of legends like Beaulieu Vineyard’s André Tchelistcheff and Screaming Eagle’s Heidi Barrett, or current trendsetters Philippe Melka of Dana Estates and Thomas Rivers Brown of Schrader. 

If any Napa Valley winemaker belongs in that top echelon, it’s Ric Forman. He’s the pioneer who, after revolutionizing Napa winemaking with now-industry-standard Bordeaux techniques, shepherded the legendary Sterling and Newton wineries—then quietly decamped to his dream parcel to make world-class Cabernets under his own label. 

Ric’s 2016 Forman Cabernet Sauvignon is the sum of the skill, experience, and spirit of one of Napa Valley’s world-class winemakers. Crafted almost exclusively with his own hands, the Cabernet floored us from the moment it poured forth. Deep purple in color, it’s a multi-dimensional blend of red and black fruit aromas, beautifully shot through with pipe tobacco, anise, lavender, mint, and integrated oak spice. 

Ric started his career in the ‘60s, and his resume is intertwined with Napa Valley history: He created the first non-malolactic Chardonnay at Stony Hill, something they’re now famous for. He was winemaker at Sterling, putting that legendary estate on the map before co-founding Newton. Later, he’d help David Abreu found his benchmark vineyard management company, and even made the Abreu wines at his winery until 2000. He also helped Duckhorn find their now-famed Three Palms Vineyard (not to mention winemaker Tom Rinaldi) and convinced Spottswoode to focus on Cabernet. 

The touch of a Napa Valley pioneer—that’s what shows in the beautiful balance, supple edges, and firm structure of Ric’s 2016 Cabernet. Antonio Galloni of Vinous praised it as “all class and finesse” and “super-attractive.” For anyone who reveres the classic Napa Valley style, this is a must-have bottle straight from the Howell Mountain cellar of a Napa Valley great.

In the late 1970s, with his career fully in motion, Ric set out on a search for the perfect site for his own winery. After three years, he purchased a parcel on a ridge at the base of Howell Mountain, overlooking St. Helena. This land, untamed and with more than 200 feet of gravel and volcanic tufa below, is where Ric would make the Forman wines. He called the vineyard Grande Roche, and the stony, well-drained soils immediately proved to produce a Cabernet of exquisite concentration and character. 

Ric has a bit of help in the vineyard (and in the winery from his son Toby, his assistant winemaker), but more or less everything that is done to the wine is done by Ric himself. About a decade ago, he admitted to James Laube of Wine Spectator that there wasn’t a barrel on his property that had been racked by anyone other than him. 

One of the gems of wisdom that Ric brought back from an early trip to Bordeaux is how gentle handling of the grapes was crucial to maximizing quality, and his wines testify to that: They’re made just a few hundred yards from the vineyard, then stored underground in cool, dark caves dug in the rocky soil that beguiled Rick four decades ago.

That terroir, plus Ric’s expertise and meticulous care, results in a wine that defines the classic Napa Valley style. Of course, in the 98-point 2016 vintage, the result is spectacular. Just a year before this wine was harvested, Stephen Tanzer of Vinous called his vertical tasting of Forman wines the most intriguing of the season, and opined that Ric’s wines were better than ever. 

We’ve been following Ric for years, between Forman and the other wineries he’s elevated to greatness, and we fully agree with Tanzer’s assertion. The 2016 Forman Napa Valley Cabernet is a must-have for the classic Napa Valley Cabernet fan—and one we can’t wait to drink ourselves.