2018 Sodaro Estate Felicity Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

With Realm’s Farella Vineyard just five minutes down the road to the east, Meteor Vineyard the same distance south, and Palmaz to the north, they’re smack in the middle of Napa’s $175-Cabernet country. And yet a bottle of their estate-grown Felicity Cabernet, which is farmed by the same legend in charge of Scarecrow and Vine Hill Ranch, is just $95 off of their mailing list.

When Don and Deedee Sodaro founded their winery 25 years ago, their corner of Coombsville wasn’t yet one of the most desirable plots of land in all of Napa. Palmaz was only established the year prior, Meteor wasn’t yet bottling its own wine, and Realm Cellars was but a twinkle in the eye of its founders.

But the Sodaros saw the potential of this site. Its soils are based on volcanic ash, covered by alluvium and cobblestone-studded loam, while the cool air off San Pablo Bay helps regulate heat in the summer—creating a long growing season that ripens Cabernet to perfection.

And to farm such a special place, they rely on Michael Wolf. He’s one of the most in demand vineyard managers in all of Napa, trusted with sites like Scarecrow and Vine Hill Ranch. He works wonders here, too—overseeing careful pruning in the spring to limit yields, and perfectly judged leaf-pulling in the summer and fall to ensure that the grape clusters receive just the right amount of sun exposure. 

And once those grapes are hand-harvested under cover of night, they’re turned over to the talented Leo Tellez. Leo trained under the legendary late Denis Malbec at Kapcsàndy and Blankiet. He joined Sodaro full-time in 2016 and has taken them into a new stratosphere.