2018 Elizabeth Spencer Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (375 mL) Half-Bottle

The Napa Valley of yesteryear is not a thing of the past. The era of balanced, ageworthy, food-friendly wines is still with us, thanks to bottlings like the Elizabeth Spencer Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a beautifully soft and drinkable Cabernet that hits all the plum, cherry, and cassis notes just right—precisely the profile we look for in a half-bottle to drink now or age for a few years.

Tucked in an 1872 brick Post Office building on a little side-street in Rutherford, Elizabeth Spencer is a bastion of traditional, low-key winemaking that results in wines of precision and grace. It was founded in 1998 by the husband-and-wife team of Spencer Graham and Elizabeth Pressler, both wine-industry veterans. Graham was a sommelier, then a chef de cuisine, then a wine distributor, and then a winemaker, and Pressler worked as a marketing consultant. Their extensive knowledge and close relationships with Valley insiders gave them access to great vineyard sources that still yield dividends today.

Elizabeth Spencer’s winemaker since 2010 has been Sarah Vandendriessche, who’s had previous experience at the Scholium Project, Robert Sinskey, and White Rock Vineyards. She’s stated that “Our winemaking philosophy adheres to a classical tradition. The model for all of our wines is intensity without excess weight, purity, persistence and length.” 

This Cabernet Sauvignon comprises fruit from sources in Rutherford, Yountville, Chiles Valley, and Calistoga. It spent 24 months in only 15% new French oak, letting the wonderful cassis and black-cherry typicity of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon shine through.