2017 Hoopes Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

When Lindsay Hoopes first told us her incredible Cabernet was just $50, we said, “You sure you’re not forgetting a ‘1’ in front of that number?” 

It’s a story we love to share, and we can tell it year after year—because Hoopes still hasn’t raised its price.

Grown in part on the Hoopes family’s tiny ten-acre plot in the prime area of Oakville—near To Kalon and $300 Cardinale—Hoopes is one of the best two-digit-priced Napa Cabs we’ve had. Over a glass of the 2017, Lindsay told us the story of the season, which started off with big rains that gave the soils a much-needed drink after five years of drought. 

“The summer started early,” she said. “After some hot days in June, we had a nice, long, easy summer. The grapes were fantastic, with extraordinary concentration of fruit. It was a great vintage.” 

The grapes Lindsay and the team brought in were gorgeous—and fortunately, by the time the fires of ‘17 started, they’d harvested most of their fruit, picked from family-farmed sites in Yountville and the Oakville vineyard her father planted back in 1983, which include some of the oldest Cabernet vines in the Valley. 

Aged in 100% French oak (45% of it new) for 22 months, the wine shows a deep ruby-garnet color in the glass. The nose is a profound mix of dark wild berries and dark-roast espresso accented by lilac and violet.Layers of black cherry, strawberry, and currant emerge on the palate, framed by a mountain of tannins that melts into a long finish.

This bottle shows why Hoopes became an instant classic at Wine Access, and this 2017 Cab will just add to their legacy.