2022 Synthesis Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

The label simply says “Napa Valley.”

But the lineup of vineyards that goes into Martin Ray’s 2022 Synthesis Cabernet boasts a Big Red Machine level of quality.

The backbone of the wine comes from a star vineyard on Diamond Mountain—one that supplies Lokoya with fruit for their $400 bottling—and a coveted site in Rutherford. It’s matched with heavy-hitter sites in Mt. Veeder and Oak Knoll that are farmed by famous names and protected by strict NDAs.

Crafted by 100-point winemaker Keith Emerson, this wine easily merits its flagship status at Martin Ray and its $55 price tag, as evidenced by its 95-point score from James Suckling. This has been a monster hit every time we’ve secured an allocation—and the ‘22 is one of the best editions ever.

The Martin Ray team conceived of the Synthesis bottling as a yin-yang challenge of capturing Napa terroir—a way to step outside their single-vineyard approach. They decided to combine the fruit from high-elevation AVAs like Howell and Diamond Mountain with valley-floor grapes that show the classic character of Stags Leap and Rutherford.
 
The result is a Napa Cab with all the dense, bramble-y tones of mountain grapes perfectly complementing the plush richness delivered by the ripe fruit from lower in the Valley. Ever since its inaugural vintage, Synthesis has been a favorite, carefully tracked by Cabernet-loving bargain-hunters year to year.

The 2022 is a standout, the result of a strict barrel-by-barrel selection that made this one of the smallest-ever releases under the label. In the final blend, 16 months’ aging in 40% new French and American oak put a seductive mocha sheen on the wine’s bold blackberry and blueberry aromas and flavors.