Etude 2019 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

94 Points | #68 Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines of 2022 | Drink 2023 to 2036

TL;DR: The 2019 Etude Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from six prestigious benchland vineyards across Napa Valley's major sub-appellations: Oakville, Calistoga, Rutherford, St. Helena, and Coombsville. It earned 94 points from Wine Spectator critic James Molesworth and was ranked #68 on the publication's Top 100 Wines of 2022. Aged 20 months in 100% French oak (75% new), it is certified California Sustainable Winegrowing and Napa Green Winery. Drinking well now and best through 2036.

The Recognition

Each year, Wine Spectator editors survey the wines reviewed over the previous 12 months and select their Top 100, based on quality, value, availability, and excitement. The list honors exceptional wineries, regions, and vintages from around the world. Being ranked among the Top 100 places a wine in rare company, and the 2019 Etude Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon earned its place on the strength of what is in the bottle.

Senior critic James Molesworth wrote:

"Dark but fresh, with mulberry and black currant fruit laced with apple wood, anise and tobacco. Shows nice energy from start to finish, with a late cast iron accent giving this a solid feel through the finish. Best from 2023 through 2036."
-- James Molesworth, Wine Spectator

At a Glance

The Vineyards: Six Sub-Appellations, One Blend

Etude's Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon has always been a wine of place, plural. Rather than drawing from a single vineyard or sub-appellation, it is handcrafted from benchland vineyards across the breadth of Napa Valley, each contributing something distinct to the final blend.

The 2019 vintage was sourced from six of Napa's most respected growing sites:

• Vine Hill Ranch, Oakville — one of the most celebrated Cabernet vineyards in the valley, prized for structure and depth
• Gamble Vineyard, Oakville — a longtime Oakville benchmark known for fruit purity and balance
• Bear Flats Vineyard, Calistoga — northern Napa warmth contributing richness and intensity
• Morisoli Vineyards, Rutherford — the source of Rutherford dust, that signature dusty, mineral mid-palate character
• Bale Lane Vineyard, St. Helena — a mid-valley site adding weight and generosity
• Meteor Vineyard, Coombsville — cool southeastern Napa, contributing freshness, acidity, and precision

Together these sites express the full range of what the Napa Valley AVA offers for texture, vitality, and finesse. Keeping each lot separate until final blending allows Senior Winemaker Jon Priest to compose the wine with the same deliberateness that defines everything Etude produces.

The 2019 Vintage

The 2019 growing season in Napa Valley was defined by patience. Significant February rains pushed the harvest one to two weeks later than prior years, but the delay worked in the wine's favor. A wet, cool spring followed by a gradual ripening period allowed sugars to develop slowly, producing fruit with lower sugars, full flavor development, fresh acidity, and superb natural balance.

The result was a modest yield with a slightly more compact structure and extract than in warmer, faster years, exactly the conditions that produce a Cabernet built for both pleasure now and longevity in the cellar.

Winemaking: Minimal Intervention, Maximum Expression

Etude's approach to Cabernet Sauvignon follows the same philosophy that has guided the winery since founder Tony Soter established it in 1982: great wine begins in the vineyard, and the winemaker's role is to protect what the land has already done.

For the 2019 vintage, that meant:

• Cold soak of 3 to 5 days prior to fermentation to extract color and aromatics gently
• Fermentation on the skins in open-top fermenters for maximum fruit expression
• Extended maceration to deepen mouthfeel and fully integrate color, flavor, and tannin
• Racking into small French oak barrels selected from multiple coopers and forests to accentuate individual vineyard character
• 20 months of aging in 100% French oak, 75% new, with each vineyard lot kept separate until final blending

The oak is present but never dominant. Its role is to add texture and a subtle spice framework that complements rather than obscures the fruit.

Tasting Notes

Full of perfumed, ripe dark berry fruit with layers of macerated blackberry, black cherry, dark plum, and black currant. Notes of Madagascar vanilla, cardamom, and allspice speak to the well-integrated, subtle oak. Plush and rich, with velvety, mouth-coating tannins that never feel aggressive. The finish is long and multi-layered, with the exquisite balance and complexity that defines a genuinely cellar-worthy Cabernet. Drinking beautifully now and best through 2036.

Sustainability Certifications

Every bottle of Etude Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is produced under two active sustainability certifications:

• Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing (CCSW): Covers biodiversity, soil revitalization, integrated pest management, and water and energy use across both vineyard and winery operations.
• Napa Green Winery: One of only four sustainable winegrowing programs nationwide offering comprehensive soil-to-bottle certification. Etude meets more than 120 sustainability and stewardship standards as part of this program.

Etude has been a responsible steward of the land since founding in 1982. These certifications are not recent additions. They are the formalization of a philosophy the winery has always held.

FAQs: Etude 2019 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

What score did the 2019 Etude Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon receive?
94 points from Wine Spectator, reviewed by senior critic James Molesworth.

Where did this wine rank in Wine Spectator's Top 100?
It was ranked #68 on Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2022, a list selected annually based on quality, value, availability, and excitement from wines reviewed over the prior 12 months.

What vineyards were used in the 2019 blend?
The wine was sourced from six Napa Valley benchland vineyards: Vine Hill Ranch and Gamble Vineyard in Oakville, Bear Flats Vineyard in Calistoga, Morisoli Vineyards in Rutherford, Bale Lane Vineyard in St. Helena, and Meteor Vineyard in Coombsville.

How long was the wine aged in oak?
20 months in 100% French oak barrels, with 75% new oak. Each vineyard lot was kept separate until final blending.

When should I drink this wine?
It is drinking well now and is recommended through 2036, per James Molesworth's assessment in Wine Spectator.

Is this wine sustainable?
Yes. The 2019 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon carries both the Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing (CCSW) and Napa Green Winery certifications.

What does the 2019 vintage mean for this wine's character?
The 2019 season's cool, extended growing season produced fruit with lower sugars, fresh acidity, and more compact structure than warmer years. That translates to a wine with energy and freshness alongside its richness, qualities that support longer aging.

How is this wine different from Etude's single-vineyard Cabernets like Coombsville or Oakville?
The Napa Valley Cabernet is a multi-vineyard blend designed to express the full breadth of the AVA. The single-vineyard bottlings, such as the Coombsville and Oakville Cabernets, are focused expressions of a single site and tend to highlight the specific character of that sub-appellation more narrowly.

Shop the Etude Cabernet Sauvignon portfolio at etudewines.com.

Enjoy responsibly. Pour & Protect.