There is – to use the old New York Yankees batting order term – a “Murderer’s Row” of Cabernet wineries starting in Oakville and extending north along Route 29 into Rutherford – Cardinale, Opus, Mondavi, Turnbull, Nickel & Nickel, Cakebread. The one often overlooked is Sequoia Grove, which might not be batting cleanup but is adept at getting on base. And at an affordable price. The 2019 is a velvet glove type of Cabernet – soft flavors of cassis, mulberries, plum, aging oak, but the structure is firm with lots of softer tannins. This is what to buy when you’re looking for full, but not lush, fruitiness in a Napa Cab.
Sequoia Grove, Napa Valley (California) Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
By Roger Morris