2019 Heir Apparent Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain District Napa Valley 750 ml

When we were starting out in this business, many of our Cabernet finds came from Napa locals who had access to incredible grapes and made wine in quantities too small to attract much attention. Today, nearly two decades later, discoveries like those are still our favorites because they often hit the sweet spot of terroir and value in a way that few others can match. 

Enter the 2019 Heir Apparent Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain. From an absolutely phenomenal vintage and a winery that flies way below the big-money Napa Valley radar, only 105 cases of it ever existed.  

This Cab hails from Spring Mountain, a wellspring of world-class Cabernet Sauvignon. The AVA is home to Vineyard 7 & 8, Philip Togni, Smith Madrone, and Pride Mountain, and we think the 2019 Heir Apparent—sourced from a postage-stamp-sized, jewel-box vineyard—would fare extremely well in a blind tasting against some of its famous neighbors.

Located in Rutherford, the winery lies close to iconic properties like Scarecrow, Staglin Family Vineyard, and Inglenook. The man behind this wine is a friend who’s mastered the trifecta of the Napa wine business: He’s a vineyard-hound with a nose for prime Cabernet, he’s a deft hand in the cellar, and he knows exactly where to sell his wares—an instinct that led him to the booming Asian market.

That’s where this allocation of Heir Apparent would have gone had trade disputes not monkey-wrenched the whole system. For his tiny-production wine, it made more sense to find it a home in the States.

For lovers of rich, decadent Napa Cabernets, this classic expression is drinking incredibly well now but also built to rest and develop in your cellar for 10–15 years.