2017 Rudd Estate Crossroads Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville 750 ml

We've developed a special affinity for Cabernets that cost less than $100. There aren't many, because there aren’t many Cabernets that fit in with the cream of Napa Valley at a fraction of the price. 

One of our favorites—which we buy for ourselves, steer our friends toward, and evangelize to strangers about—is the Rudd Estate Crossroads Cabernet. Sourced exclusively from Rudd Estate at the Oakville Cross (where it’s easy to point to Bond and Screaming Eagle), Crossroads always exuded the same class as the top Cabernets of Napa Valley. 

That’s why we're thrilled that, after a hiatus of several years, Rudd’s Crossroads Cabernet is back. It’s exactly what we've always loved about this wine: Dark purple at the core, it’s absolutely bursting with cassis, black plum, and black cherry, along with mocha, mint, crème caramel, and toast. Boasting the volcanic mineral complexity for which eastern Oakville’s red soils are renowned, the Crossroads finishes with supple tannins and a dose of sweet spice. This is the kind of Cabernet that made us a massive fan of Rudd Estate, and we’ve got it for Wine Access members for just $80. 

Standing in the vineyard and looking up at the Pritchard Hill plateau with Managing Director Oscar Henquet and Assistant Winemaker Natalie Bath, it’s easy to see what makes this one of the most blessed pieces of land in Napa Valley: Part of the hill crumbled down over a million years ago, spreading Pritchard Hill’s prized and ancient volcanic soil over what’s now eastern Oakville. Exactly where Rudd sits at Oakville Cross and Silverado Trail. 

One thing we've always admired about Rudd—and one thing that becomes abundantly clear on a visit—is how seriously they take the term “estate.” Their property is surrounded by a wall made from rocks dug from the vineyard, evidence of an all-in-house ethos that extends to the meticulous vineyard care: Every hand that touches a vine at Rudd belongs to a full-time employee, and metal tags at the end of each row identify the worker who “owns” it. While some Napa Valley estates look far and wide to source fruit for an under-$100 Cabernet, Rudd is obsessive about theirs being a true reflection of their special piece of land.

That idea fits in with the vision of the estate’s founder, Leslie Rudd, who was inspired by the great estates of Bordeaux—not just the winemaking excellence, but the family heritage that is passed on for centuries. It’s the kind of generational succession that he aspired to (and is getting rare in Napa Valley), and after he passed away in 2018, the winery was left in the hands of his daughter, Samantha. 

Following in her father's footsteps, Samantha has dedicated her life to the estate’s promise. She absorbed the lessons of hard work and excellence by working alongside her father for 20 years, and trained at Spottswoode in Napa Valley at Château Margaux in Bordeaux.  

The uncompromising standard of quality set by the Rudd family has been apparent in their wines for decades, and shines through in every sip of today’s $80 Crossroads Cabernet.