2021 Yount Mill House Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

We have no choice but to get into some inside baseball here. To be labeled “Cabernet Sauvignon” in Napa Valley, a wine DOES NOT have to contain 100% Cabernet—just 75%. The rest can be Merlot, Petit Verdot—whatever works, whatever’s affordable. 

Similarly, only 85% of the fruit in a Napa Valley wine must come from Napa Valley, so it’s not uncommon for producers to cut some costs by tapping less-expensive appellations. When you buy an affordable Napa Valley Cabernet, it’s awfully likely that what you’re getting—while it may comply with labeling laws—is not 100% from Napa Valley. 

It’s no surprise that an affordable bottle of this quality level comes from winery owner Michael Pozzan, who collects Napa secrets.

Yount Mill Road, which gives this wine its name, is one example. Rarely discovered by drivers, it’s a hidden little gem winding along the scenic border between Oakville and Yountville that only a deep student of Napa’s landscape would know about. Michael has a home there, pictured on the label.

Michael’s team includes top talent like consulting winemaker Molly Lyman, who’s worked alongside luminaries like Philippe Melka and Heidi Barrett. He’s practically a lifer in the wine business, dating back to his childhood lugging four-liter jugs of wine for his grandfather, and he’s got the connections to show for it.

All that Michael would tell us regarding the sourcing of this wine is that he signed very strict NDAs with two vineyards, one in St. Helena and one in Calistoga. The result is a wine that will leave many buyers—and probably a few winemakers—scratching their heads, wondering: How did he do that?