Grape Culture Nosotros 2021

Set to be bottled in June, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Nosotros comes from a northeast-facing vineyard at 1,700 feet above sea level. It's showing plenty of mocha-tinged oak but also intricate details of spring flowers and sage, plus ample cassis fruit. Full-bodied, velvety and long on the finish, it's a terrific-looking barrel sample.

Proprietor Collin Cranor is a product of the Bay Area, and his family also has a wine business in Livermore (Nottingham Cellars). The 2019 Grape Culture wines were made in Livermore, but he made the move to Napa in 2021, building out a winery in one of southern Napa's industrial parks. "Now we have a bigger sandbox, more to play with, and it's fun again," said Cranor. Director of Winemaking Craig Ploof, formerly at Steven Kent (arguably Livermore's top winery), hired in 2018, oversees day-to-day operations. Hyper-clean, quality-focused, with a selection of grape sources that is still being curated and refined, this is a Napa newcomer to watch.