Loveland Lee Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2018

We are so incredibly fortunate at ACME to, fairly often, announce the debut of new wine labels. But it is a rarer and greater pleasure, indeed, to introduce our clientele to inaugural estate wines. And even more uncommon still, to proclaim the arrival of a premier estate wine from a locale as widely esteemed as Pritchard Hill. Over the last few decades, this lofty aerie of a site has become synonymous with some of the most highly coveted (and expensive) wines in Napa Valley, among them Ovid, Continuum, and Colgin. And finally, it gives us utmost gladness when the vintner is 100% hands on, has worked so hard, and is simultaneously passionate and yet humble. Such is the case with David McBride, the all-around grape grower, winemaker, and vintner behind our newest addition to ACME, Loveland Lee Cabernet Sauvignon 2018.

David grew up in the Pacific Northwest and lived most of his life in Seattle, Washington. However, his parents hailed from the Bay Area and so he was thus familiar with Napa from family trips. In 1966, before preparing to enter the military, David and his sister embarked on an epic road trip to Napa, and they instantly fell in love with the natural beauty of the valley. It was a heady time of great promise as vintners like Robert Mondavi were just introducing the region to the broader world wine stage. David returned to Washington after his time in the service honorably concluded, and he pursued a career in the software industry, which took him to such far-flung postings as a three-year stint in Japan. But his time in Napa with his sister, and the marvelous wines he had tasted, continuously harkened him back across the decades. In 2006, David purchased just a few scant, unplanted acres on the steep, rocky slopes of Pritchard Hill, overlooking the verdant Napa Valley and Lake Hennessey. Since then, he has been learning to farm and make wine from his neighbors; not too shabby when your property is adjacent to the likes of Bryant Family and a stone’s throw from Chappellet.

David tends to just 1.5 acres of vines, primarily Cabernet Sauvignon. He is passionate about the outdoors, growing things, and he does it all from grape to bottle. Of course, he has help from his family which he honors with the name of the wine: Loveland is his mother’s maiden name and Lee is his wife’s. And Boötes, the constellation on his label, depicts the celestial Plowman, who eternally tills the earth just like David did for his vineyard. He is also a great admirer of the classic style of Napa Cabernet he savored on his first visit: as such, this wine is elegant, structured, and most of all, reserved, just like him. In 2018, he made just 37 cases of this wine, and ACME has the distinction of being the very first place to be offered it outside friends and family. The is a wine that will be proudly featured front-and-center at our new I.P.O. tasting experience here at ACME.

The 2018 growing season commenced with abundant soil moisture in the spring, followed by an ideal summer with minimal heat spikes. Following veraison, in the fall, David chose to keep the leaf canopy intact to create a dappled shade environment to allow even ripening. The impeccable fruit was gently hand-harvested the third week of September, and after destemming, the grapes were cold-soaked for 5 days to allow a depth of mouthfeel and vibrant color. After a long, slow fermentation, the wine was racked into once-used French oak barrels to mature for 23 months prior to bottling. This wine is 94% Cabernet Sauvignon with a touch of 6% Petit Verdot for structure, tannin, and a gorgeous ruby hue. This wine unfurls with seductive aromas of brambly blackberry, clove, and rose petals. The palate is awash with lovely black cherry notes, full-bodied texture, and fine-grained tannins. This Pritchard Hill Cabernet Sauvignon is eminently enjoyable now, but the patient will reap the rewards of laying it down for five to seven years in the cellar.r.