2021 Cain Vineyard & Winery Cain Five

Sitting high on Spring Mountain, a wild and windswept site of thin clay and sandstone soils where the five classic Bordeaux varieties have been grown for decades. Wine grower Christopher Howell has always chased something different from the usual Napa powerhouse.  

A wine of perfume, savory depth, and quiet intensity that speaks of the mountain itself. The 2021 is especially meaningful as it’s the first fully estate grown Cain Five after the fire of 2020, crafted from the surviving vines that still carry the unmistakable Cain signature.

In the glass, it opens with the classic Cain perfume of crushed violets, fresh tarweed, sage, thyme, white pepper and loamy earth. On the palate it is vivid and fresh, with tar laced berry fruit, crunchy acidity and potent yet silky tannins that show real muscularity without heaviness. Focused, nuanced and tightly wound, it already drinks beautifully while promising a long future.

Grape: 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, 9% Malbec, 1% Petit Verdot

Appellation: Spring Mountain District, Napa Valley, California, USA

- Decanter 97 Points