2019 AVA St Helena Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

David Grega spent seven years at the side of 100-point winemaker Jeff Ames, crafting wines for collector-favorite label TOR. During that stint, he soaked up knowledge and built one of the best Rolodexes in the business—and he parlayed those contacts into one stunning 2019 St. Helena Cabernet. 

Grown in the near-perfect 2019 season, sourced from spectacular vineyards in the prime Cabernet country of St. Helena—home of Spottswoode, Sinegal, and more—this is the kind of wine you want a limitless amount of in your cellar. 

You can trace the lineage of Napa’s great winemakers by who they tapped for stardom. Helen Turley mentored Ehren Jordan, who trained Thomas Rivers Brown. Brown championed Jeff Ames—and for seven years at TOR, Ames tutored Grega. He’s a sharp-dressed Iraq-war veteran who was in a tasting group with our own Sur Lucero before Sur had earned his Master Somm pin. Now he’s out on his own, putting his experience to work at AVA Vintners.

2019 was an outstanding vintage in Napa—a long, warm summer led to a mild fall and perfect conditions to pick grapes. Wine Advocate called the wines “classic, ripe, plush and beautifully expressive” in their glowing vintage report, and the AVA shows off those traits in spades.

After harvesting his beautifully ripe 100% Cabernet fruit from vineyards rich in volcanic soils, David treated it to a perfectly judged extraction on the skins, before a luxurious stay in 40% new French oak for a full 22 months. That allowed the tannins to soften to a plush silkiness, building the complexity and allure required of its $150 price tag.