Arcudi Cabernet Franc Napa Valley 2022

In 2015, we debuted Tony Arcudi’s first vintage under his label with the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon bottling from the Black Sears Vineyard on Howell Mountain.  Members loved it, and we were not surprised.  With unwavering passion, determination, and an outlandishly impressive pedigree of wines that he has helped to craft, Tony is the winemaker to start collecting if you haven’t already.  In 2001, propelled by the memory of a life-changing glass of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Tony, a Boston native, packed his bags at thirty-eight and moved across the country to the Napa Valley.  His tenacious inspiration led him to apply to college for the first time, and he then attended and graduated from the prestigious UC Davis, the topmost academy for wine studies in the United States.  After graduating, Tony interned at the revered Maison M. Chapoutier in France and then worked as the Assistant Winemaker for Nickel & Nickel back in Napa.  In 2009, he met Napa superstar winemaker Heidi Barrett, whose winemaking resume includes Screaming Eagle, Dalla Valle, Grace Family, Amuse Bouche, Fantesca, Diamond Creek Vineyards, and Kenzo Estate, to name just a few.  Tony became Heidi’s Assistant Winemaker and right-hand man that same year.  Working alongside Heidi gave him unimaginable experience and boosted his confidence to begin a project in 2012 under his label, Arcudi.

Since then, in addition to becoming the winemaker for Kapcsándy Family Winery and earning three 100-Point Scores (two in his first vintage), his small production, single-vineyard Cabernets under the Arcudi label have continued to garner glowing reviews from critics and loyal followers.  One such single vineyard is Stagecoach, where Tony developed a relationship with the property’s owner, Dr. Jan Krupp (of Krupp Brothers Winery), during a harvest internship in 2005.  Stagecoach has its place in our local history as the largest contiguous vineyard in Napa Valley, with 600-plus acres planted to vines. Stagecoach is record-setting and a phenom in great grape-growing terroir.  During the 1800s, German settlers planted grapes in these hills and sold fruit for some of the highest prices in Napa at the time. However, Prohibition and a hungry deer population ruined the thriving vineyards, which were eventually abandoned by the early 1900s.  When the owners put the parcel up for sale in 1991, many experts deemed the land a lost cause with no access to water and uninhabitable soil for vines.  Dr. Krupp challenged the naysayers, purchased the plot, and started development in 1995, transporting over one billion pounds of rock and using a geologist and a “water witch” to locate five underground natural streams.  Jan’s grit paid off, and Stagecoach quickly became a sought-after vineyard that presently sells grapes to over 80 wineries with at least 25 vineyard-designate wines from the property.

After a few vintages crafting a single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from his favorite Stagecoach block, Tony sought a new challenge and secured a small lot of Cabernet Franc.   These Franc vines sit atop one of the vineyard’s steepest, westernmost slopes.  High above the valley floor, the soil here is red clay loam dotted with boulders and some areas of solid rock base.    It is generally a more consistent temperature with warmth radiating from the valley floor and a reliable, gentle breeze from the San Francisco Bay that reaches the high altitude.  The result is concentrated, fully ripened berries with intense minerality and layered complexity.  Tony’s Cabernet Franc is full of raspberry and cassis aromas with roasted bell pepper and milk chocolate underpinnings.  Structured tannins uphold ripe fruit flavors, highlighted by the balanced acidity and a distinct mineral note that lingers through the finish.