You may remember the days when the “store brand” at your favorite grocer was all that you could afford, and that sometimes the store brand was close to as good — or even just as good — as a splashier brand of the same sort of item. Even today, I’ve had pretty good luck with certain “Signature Reserve” items at my local Vons/Albertsons, and this is a wine worthy of a solid recommendation. Though 2021 was a low yield vintage in Napa Valley, it was a very good one, and it shows in this bottle. You won’t find a structured, sense of place Napa Cabernet at this price anywhere else, but you will be happy that you did. There is a fair amount of this out there, but it won’t last.
Signature Reserve, Napa Valley (California) Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
By Rich Cook