Unwritten Oakville Station Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville 2021

You’ve probably heard the term, “Great wine starts in the vineyard,” every notable winemaker seems to point to their vines as the real reason behind their high point scores. There’s truth to this mantra, and it is no well-kept secret.  The farming of the vineyard matters!  As it turns out, that appealing phrase “this is something special” can first be credited to the site, the terroir, and the farming before we can praise the winemaker for carrying its excellence over the finish line with the magic they create in the winery.  A vivid picture of a wine’s lifecycle emerges when you walk through the vineyard.  It all makes perfect sense when you connect the wine with its birthplace and feel the soil under your feet!  “Good Farming Makes Good Wine!”

What was most impressive for Unwritten Vintners Matthew and Kelly Murphy was finding a winemaker with a unique style that collectors can recognize and appreciate.  However, a great winemaker must also let the vineyard be the star.  So, in meeting Mark Porembski, they need not look further for someone with a distinct quality, approach, and signature to his winemaking from his years of experience in the Valley with small producer Anomaly and as a founder of Band of Vintners and his brand with wife Jennifer Williams, Zeitgeist Cellars.  Since the brand’s start in 2015, Mark has masterfully crafted Unwritten’s flagship Cabernet Sauvignon, meticulously sourcing fruit from some of Napa’s premier sites, like Lewelling Ranch and Oakville Station, for the hyper-small five-barrel production.

In 2019, Unwritten launched their Signature Series line-up with their first-ever single vineyard Cabernet from Las Posadas Vineyard on Howell Mountain.  Apexers who’ve been in the know since last February have had a chance to try that stunning wine.  For the 2021 vintage, Mark and the Unwritten team embarked on another debut project and crafted a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Oakville Station Vineyard.  These historic and impactful vines lie at the heart of the original To Kalon parcel, nestled between Robert Mondavi’s Monastery Block, Oakville Grade, and Walnut Drive.  The 40 acres of Oakville Station comprise two smaller blocks, Old Federal Vineyard and South Station, and are owned and farmed by the UC Davis viticulture program.  Napa Valley history runs deep on this property as the Old Federal vines were part of the pioneering H.W. Crabb’s Ranch, and the budwood used to establish the famous Martha’s Vineyard came from Oakville Station.  It doesn’t get more Napa Valley than that.

Mark crafted only 50 cases of this inaugural 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, making it rare and unique.  The wine aged 23 months in 100% new French oak barrels from three cooperages.  The Cabernet is showy and enveloping, with complexly layered aromas of blue and black fruits and cardamom intertwined with graphite and crushed violets.  Mark says it best - “This wine is a perfect example of what Napa does so well: classically balanced, smooth, persistent, and delicious.  It is a great wine from a great vineyard in a great vintage.  This is blue chip stuff.”