2018 Hoopes Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

When Lindsay Hoopes first told us her incredible Cabernet was under $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.

Lindsay’s father planted the vineyard back in 1983, and for 15 years, the family sold the Cabernet grapes, supplying some of the area’s most iconic wineries. Finally, in 1999, they decided to make their own Cabernet, and it quickly became the fairly priced quality benchmark it still is today.

Lindsay declared that “it’s hard to think of a vintage where conditions were so ideal as 2018,” and the team harvested near-perfect grapes at optimum ripeness for this Cabernet. After an easy fermentation, the wine was aged in 100% French oak (40% of it new) for an impressive 29 months.

This wine shows a deep ruby-garnet color in the glass and the nose is a profound mix of black fruit 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 2018 Cab will just add to their legacy.