2021 GAIT Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Napa Valley 750 ml

On the car ride to visit the St. Helena vineyard source for this wine, it was impossible to miss the caliber of the neighboring estates:.

Winemaker Trevor Sheehan has again pulled off the impossible: transforming a coveted allocation of grapes from a top Napa vineyard—one that neighbors Chappellet, Bryant, Colgin, and Continuum, among others—into a STUNNING bargain.

Many of you know Trevor from the blowout success of past red wines under his Technique and GAIT labels. He got his start over a decade ago, and now—armed with a rolodex of gold and a reputation for scoring “unobtainable” grapes—he rarely sources from less than the absolute best, so we’ve never said no when he’s made us an offer.

This is a product of a steep mountain vineyard with elevations reaching 1,700 feet, and complex soils. The freshness is unmistakable, as is the sun-warmed ripeness and richness of hillside fruit. Wines from this site can command $150 to $200 prices. But this Napa Cab, secured thanks to Trevor’s longtime relationship with the vineyard’s grower, is among the best deals we’ve laid eyes on.

Trevor’s ability to deliver Cabernets that drink like bottles that cost MULTIPLES more has made his wines by-the-glass catnip for restaurants. That was how we first stumbled across his bottlings: When one of our Wine Team members, Eduardo Dingler, was still a sommelier, Trevor became one of his favorite producers to put on his lists.

Deep, robust, and generous, spilling over with aromas of dark chocolate, violets, and graphite, with a palate full of cherries and blackberries, it is, as one buyer of a previous vintage of GAIT wrote, “perfect for a night by the fireplace.”