Lot Overview
- Region: Oakville, Napa Valley (north border of Oakville, near Silverado Trail)
- Vintage: 2022
- Varietal: 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Malbec
- Oak Aging: ~85% new French oak, 28 months
- Alcohol: 14.5%
- Cases Available: ~300
- Cam Price: ~$20.75/bottle ($249/case)
- Retail Estimate: $165/bottle
- Claude’s Source Guess: B Cellars
- Wine Berserkers Guess: B Cellars Giannone
- Drink Window: 2025–2036 (peak 2027–2033)
Cameron’s Release Notes
Lot 2 2022 Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon is the final blend straight out of a $165/bottle, single-vineyard, estate program on the north border of Oakville just off the Silverado Trail. This sumptuous wine has all the bells and whistles including a legendary consulting winemaker and 80–85% new French oak. I purchased the entire 2022 vintage; however, we only produced a couple hundred cases so I highly recommend you giddyup and grab yours today!
Tasting Notes
Classic Oakville nose of blueberry pie and graham cracker crust complexed with boysenberry and sage/tobacco notes underpinned with fresh-turned black earth, all haloed by toasty notes of caramel and crème brûlée from the beautifully integrated oak. Pretty cassis and white flower notes emerge with air. Rich and succulent on entry, showcasing wonderfully ripe red and blue fruits, graphite, soft chewy tannins and beautifully integrated toasty oak. Simultaneously ripe, dark, bright, spicy and rich, the wine has a juicy, open-knit yet deep structure that makes it a hedonistic pleasure now while having the fortitude to age gracefully for another decade or more. Dyn-o-mite!
✅ Bottle Shock Status
2022 vintage, bottled June 2024, released summer 2024. Past bottle shock and drinking well now.
Claude’s Source Guess: B Cellars — Giannone Vineyard, Oakville (Kirk Venge, winemaker)
The Giannone Vineyard sits on Skellinger Lane in north Oakville, just off the Silverado Trail — matching Cam’s geographic description precisely. B Cellars has sourced from this small, family-owned plot for multiple vintages, producing a single-vineyard Cabernet aged in 100% new French oak. Their winemaker Kirk Venge qualifies as “legendary” in the Napa consulting world — the Venge family name carries serious weight in the valley going back decades.
The 12% Malbec is higher than what B Cellars typically shows on their Giannone label, but Cam is assembling the final CAM X blend himself and routinely adds lots from outside the source winery to build the final composition. A Malbec lot from another program could easily account for that component without undermining the Giannone as the backbone.
Production size, price tier ($160–165), oak program, and geographic fit all align well. The WB community independently arrived at B Cellars Giannone as their guess, which reinforces the case.
✅ Confidence: Medium-High — geography, winemaker pedigree, vineyard size, and price tier are all strong fits. The 12% Malbec is the one open variable.
Drink Window
Early: Now — 2022 with 28 months aging and 85% new French oak is accessible but benefits from decanting.
Peak: 2027–2033. Classic Oakville structure gives this a solid 5–8 year arc from release.
Hold: 2036.
My Call: ✅ Drink window: 2025–2036 (peak 2027–2033)