2022 Vida Valiente "Graveside Vineyard" St. Helena Cabernet Sauvignon

The small Graveside Vineyard, formerly known as Cemetery under the Caterwaul label, is situated in St. Helena near a creek. This site lies adjacent to David Abreu's Capella Vineyard, with Beckstoffer Las Piedras and Beckstoffer Dr. Crane nearby. In 2022, Vida Valiente took over the entire lease of the vineyard, and winemaker Sam Kaplan aged the resulting wine for 24 months in 100% new French oak. This is a remarkably polished and stylish wine, reflecting Kaplan's meticulous attention to detail. It showcases ripe blue and black fruit, a hallmark of its up-valley origins, layered with exotic brown spices, fragrant loamy earth, sweet tobacco, a hint of sage, and white pepper. Medium to full-bodied, it offers velvety soft tannins and a lengthy, mineral-driven finish that evokes graphite and wet slate. (JC)

In 2022, Vida Valiente took over the lease on this entire Barbour-managed vineyard. It's on the western side of Saint Helena, not far from Las Piedras and Dr. Crane. The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Graveside Vineyard was picked three times—before, during and after the early September heatwave. Aged 24 months in 100% new French oak, the wine offers up scents of mossy oak, black cherries and blackberries, still showing some freshness, despite the vintage. It's medium- to full-bodied (14.8% alcohol), with silky tannins and hints of dark chocolate and espresso on the lingering finish. (JC)