Matthew Wallace The Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2022

With fifteen years of collaboration under their belts, Matt Hardin and Thomas Rivers Brown are still picking up steam as evident in this incredible release. Matt has managed some of Napa’s most iconic vineyards up and down the valley. Thomas Rivers Brown has crafted some of Napa’s most celebrated and scored wines. They’re each at the top of their game and have teamed up to create incredible brands such as Maybach, Outpost, Pulido-Walker, Casa Piena, and Caterwaul.

ACME has celebrated this rock star duo since their early days together, and the Regusci Vineyard Cab from Matthew Wallace has been a perennial favorite of our clients for years. When we shared the debut 2021 vintage of The Estate, the Cab quickly climbed the ACME charts as one of the most popular Napa Valley Cabernets on our wall. So when the 2022 came out a few weeks ago, we knew our clients would want the scoop.

The fruit for Matthew Wallace's Estate Cabernet comes from the Regusci vineyard in St. Helena and the Adobe vineyard in Pope Valley. Both properties are carefully tended to by Matt, and the Adobe vineyard holds an exceptionally special place in his heart because he identified and planted that acreage himself. This 18-acre parcel is located on the east-facing slopes of Pope Valley, an area that Matt knows intimately. The Eastern exposure with layered and well-draining soils at the foot of steep, tree-strewn hills is practically tailor-made to yield sophisticated Cabernet. The fruit here ripens to juicy perfection under morning light and afternoon heat. The vines are sheltered from the evening sun, giving the site dramatic diurnal temperature swings that balance the wine's bold structure with vibrant acidity and elegant structure.

True to Thomas' winemaking philosophy, this wine shows marked vintages differences from the 2021, but all were a welcome delight. While the 2021 had a firm tannic backbone and needed a few hours to breath before it could show its softer side, the 2022 is fleshy and fruit-forward - a true 'drink-now' Cab that could easily play as your goldilocks wine for a dinner party of diverse drinkers. We've had this wine in the shop for a few weeks now and the handful of clients who have had the pleasure of tasting it first have all left with a 6pk or more. It's just that good...

This is the weeknight price point we've been begging our winemaking friends for!