Caterwaul Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, Regusci Vineyard, Stag’s Leap District, California

Caterwaul is a project between 6th generation Napa native, Matt Hardin and ‘Top Gun’ winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown. Matt is a partner in Barbour Vineyard Management and is also married to Jim Regusci’s daughter, so when it came time to source premium grapes, they found their favorite rows of Jim’s prime cut of Stag’s Leap District for this wine. Thomas and Matt had worked together for many years over many different projects and a friendship was developed. 2018 vintage – “We continue to refine everything about this bottling. Every year we have adjusted our small block within the Regusci Ranch adding and subtracting rows, partial rows, even individual plants to get the most consistent crop possible. What we got from this carefully selected block is a wine with no hard edges, a wine that tastes like it came from a million identical berries. There is great density, richness, acidity and structure but all in equal proportion. This is new school Stag’s Leap opulence with notes of scorched earth, incense, spice cake and licorice. The fruit profile here leans more toward the cool blue fruit side balanced by the tannin inherent in the vintage.