Baker Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder 2023

High above the valley floor, where forests outnumber neighbors and cows still roam freely, there’s a stretch of Mount Veeder land that is as rugged as it is bucolic. Six years ago, that land changed everything for Basil Enan.

What began as a 51-acre property in the western hills of Napa quickly became a sense of belonging—steep slopes, towering trees, and a valley preserved for more than half a century by the Baker family. Their quiet stewardship inspired the name Baker Canyon, a tribute to both the land and the people who protected it long before wine was ever part of the conversation. This is Napa Valley at its most honest. And most undiscovered.

Starting a winery was never Basil’s plan. But wine has a way of finding you when you’re paying attention. His path began not with prestige, but with geology textbooks, tractors, vineyard rows, and a deep curiosity about how land, science, and people intersect. When Basil and winemaker Andy Erickson first walked the property together in 2021, their shared reverence for Mt. Veeder’s power and restraint sealed the partnership. By the 2022 bud break, Baker Canyon was underway with one of Napa’s most legendary winemakers at the helm. Andy’s resume reads like Napa folklore: Harlan, Staglin, Screaming Eagle, and enduring work with icons like Dalla Valle, Ovid, and Mayacamas—all while quietly building Favia into one of the valley’s most respected estates. Yet what defines Andy most is humility, precision, and an unwavering respect for site. You taste all of that here.

The 2023 is deep, layered, and unapologetically Mt. Veeder. Dark mountain berries, crushed rock, forest floor, and savory herbs unfold with tension and lift. Powerful yet controlled, this is Cabernet with spine and soul, structured for the long haul but already thrilling in its clarity and focus. This wine isn’t chasing trends or critics. It’s laying a foundation—for a winery breaking ground in 2026, for a future Mount Veeder estate, and for collectors who want to say they were there at the beginning.