PATRIA, CABERNET SAUVIGNON, OAKVILLE RANCH, NAPA VALLEY, 2019

Overview of the Wine
Friends for over 15 years, Tony and Kim first met through their work with Plumpjack Winery. While they disagreed about hair metal (Tony yay, Kim nay), they found immediate kinship in each others’ intellect, instinct and razor-recall palates. Close

Once a youngster who menteed under such luminaries as Duckhorn’s Tom Rinaldi, Dan Duckhorn and Alex Ryan, Tony Biagi is now a bonafide veteran winemaker. In addition to Patria, he is the winemaker for Hourglass Winery and Amici Cellars, and serves as consulting winemaker for Clos du Val (Napa), Lasseter (Sonoma), and Jada Estate (Paso Robles). Prior to beginning his consulting work, Tony was the winemaker at Plumpjack (2003-2011) and founding winemaker of CADE, Sinegal Estate, and Neal Family Vineyards.

While Tony’s career may have forged a straight line, Kimberly Jones’s has been far more circuitous – but no less accomplished. From Manhattan’s red-hot restaurant scene of the 80s, to the New York and Hollywood film industry, it was on a lark – and in need of a life change – that Kim found herself venturing into wine sales in Los Angeles in the 90s. Having befriended Lori Griffin on a hike, she helped grow his brokerage Griffin Wine Marketing to represent many of that era’s groundbreaking new wineries. Having become a veritable queen of the cults, in 2003 Kimberly launched Kimberly Jones Selections to help usher in and foster the next generation of small artisan brands. KJS now distributes both domestically and internationally, representing over 60 California wineries and over 30 producers from Europe and South America. We suspect Kimberly may be superhuman.

Natural and Organic.

Grape / Blend
84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot

Origin
Napa Valley, California

Winemaker’s Tasting Notes
Reminiscent of the powerful 2013s with explosive aromatics of blackberry, black licorice, herbes de provence and raspberry cordial followed by flavors of roasted plums, pipe tobacco, black currants and cocoa nibs. Dense and with a long life ahead, if cracking within the next year, give it an hour decant before serving.

98 points – Vinous
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Ranch is a stunning wine. Dark, virile and imposing, the 2019 packs so much energy and complexity into its mid-weight frame. Generous dollops of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot add layers of dimension. The 2019 is hugely promising. I can’t wait to taste it from bottle next year. Range (95-98)

94 points – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
Composed of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, the deep garnet-purple colored 2019 Oakville Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon is jumping with exuberant scent of crushed blackberries, warm cassis and redcurrant jelly, plus hints of roses, wild sage and tilled soil. The medium to full-bodied palate has fantastic tension and finely grained tannins supporting the multi-layered black and red fruit flavors, finishing beautifully perfumed.

94 points – Jeb Dunnuck
I loved all these latest releases from Patria. Starting with the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Ranch, which might be the best Napa Cabernet under $100, it has terrific red and black fruits as well as notes of crushed stone, herbes de Provence, spice, and violets. Rich, medium to full-bodied, beautifully balanced, and already impossible to resist, it’s ideal for drinking any time over the coming 15 years or so. Best After 2021

Product size: 750ml