Casa Piena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Yountville 2023

Carmen and Gail Policy found their slice of paradise in the picturesque Yountville Appellation. Located in one of the most beautiful parts of the world, surrounded by spectacular views of the Mayacamas and Vaca mountains, the Policy's 14-acre vineyard was planted by master vineyard manager Jim Barbour. With winemaker Thomas Brown added to the team, their future was clear. Joined by vineyard manager Matt Hardin, Casa Piena has created a buzz among its fans year after year.

While football may have brought Carmen and Gail to the greater Bay Area (Carmen is a former CEO of the San Francisco 49ers), their long love for wine brought them to Napa. Carmen's Italian-American family and their neighbors were among the East Coast basement winemakers who used "recipes" handed down from their Italian ancestors. "They would go to the railroad yards to buy grapes right off the boxcars from CA," says Carmen. Though not sophisticated wines, they were a labor of love shared generously at family dinners and neighborhood gatherings. This same pride and down-to-earth spirit lives on in the Policy's generosity, supporting our local Napa Valley community through convivial dinners out in St. Helena with close friends. If you have ever had the pleasure of meeting them, you aren't the only one to speak highly of them as individuals and patrons of amazing lifestyles built around old- world roots.

If it isn't clear by now, family is very important to Gail and Carmen. They believe that "wines taste best when they take their natural place on a table surrounded by family and friends". The name they chose for their wine is Casa Piena, translating to "Full House" in Italian. We all may assume it represents a home full of family, thus happiness. While this is certainly true, the name Full House represents their five children (the five major blocks of the Policy Vineyard named in their honor), three sons and two daughters (three of a kind and a pair) - a FULL HOUSE.

Scoring 98 points from Jeb Dunnuck, we learn some of the winemaking details from Winemaker Thomas Brown: "The 2023 vintage was so strong in Napa Valley, it made selection almost unnecessary except for the need to pull out the very best nuances from the vineyard. We ended up with a blend that was close to 50/50 across the two estate clones. Clone 7 contributes a red/purple fruit note, while clone 341 keeps it cool with some blue notes, creating a kaleidoscopic flavor profile across the entire palate. Being in the Yountville appellation also means some savory elements of graphite, crushed stones, sweet tobacco, and violets leak into the wine's overall expression. There's a broad-shouldered, chiseled, iron-y structure that almost reminds me of Bordeaux until the abundant fruit crashes in mid-palate. I think that level of refinement is what separates this wine from the rest, everything in its place, all in equal proportion."