Lot Overview
- Region: 100% Calistoga District (Winfield Estate Vineyard, eastern alluvials at base of Mt. St. Helena)
- Vintage: 2023
- Varietal: 97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot
- Oak Aging: 80% new French oak
- Alcohol: 15.0%
- Cases Available: ~110
- Cam Price: ~$25/bottle ($299/case)
- Retail Estimate: $125–135/bottle
- Claude’s Source Guess: The Grade Cellars — Winfield Estate Vineyard, Kingly Project or Serpent’s Back (Thomas Rivers Brown, winemaker)
- Wine Berserkers Guess: Venge
- Drink Window: 2027–2042 (peak 2030–2038)
Cameron’s Release Notes
Lot 25 2023 Calistoga District Cabernet Sauvignon is a single-vineyard designated bottling hailing from old vines planted in the gravelly loam in the eastern alluvials at the foot of Mount St. Helena. Produced for a $130/bottle price point, this is a no-expense-spared program raised up in 80% new French oak. They absolutely nailed it in 2023 and there is no way I would ever get my hands on this wine if it weren’t for the current sales climate.
Tasting Notes
Inky in the glass but immediately effusive with blackberry jam, black cherry and raspberry kirsch surrounded by gobs of black forest cake, cedar and spicy lavender florals. Rich and plush on entry with a silky, perfectly integrated structure that unfurls waves of ripe, opulent blackberry, fig compote, and chocolate slathered over ripe tannins. Fantastically delicious and potent at the same time — a magnificent mouthful of wine.
⏳ Bottle Shock Status: Allow minimum 2 years. 15% alc and 80% new oak need time.
Claude’s Source Guess: The Grade Cellars — Winfield Estate Vineyard, Calistoga (Thomas Rivers Brown, winemaker)
The Grade Cellars’ Winfield Estate Vineyard sits precisely at “the alluvial base of Mount St. Helena” in eastern Calistoga — the exact geography Cam describes. The 12-acre estate, named for owner Tom Winfield’s family, is planted exclusively to Cabernet Sauvignon in seven distinct blocks and has been in the Winfield family for decades, fitting the “old winemaking family” descriptor. Winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown — who has earned more 100-point scores than almost any consultant in California, including a 99-point Parker debut with The Grade’s Kingly Project in 2012 — brings the “Swiss watchmaking precision” Cam invokes.
The Grade’s three single-block Cabs — Winfield Estate, Kingly Project, and Serpent’s Back — all retail at $110–135, right at Cam’s “$130/bottle price point.” Production per bottling runs 75–200 cases, making 110 cases an entirely normal lot size for a single-block selection. Their standard oak regime is 65% new French; Cam’s 80% suggests a premium barrel selection. Cam’s tasting note descriptors — “iron, mineral-infused red rock” and lavender florals — echo the Winfield Vineyard’s documented profile across Galloni, Parker, and TRB’s own notes verbatim.
The current soft market making these wines available is entirely consistent with The Grade’s small direct-to-consumer model, where even small inventory buildups create surplus opportunities for négociants like Cam.
✅ Confidence: Very High — vineyard geography, soil description, family estate ownership, $130 price tier, Thomas Rivers Brown’s precision winemaking, and single-block production scale all align with The Grade Cellars’ Winfield Estate program.
Drink Window
Early: 2027 — 15% alc and 80% new oak from a warm Calistoga vintage need 3–4 years minimum.
Peak: 2030–2038. TRB’s Winfield Cabs consistently peak 7–15 years from vintage.
Hold: 2042. The structure and concentration support two decades.
My Call: ⏳ Drink window: 2027–2042 (peak 2030–2038)