Crafted by Russell Bevan, one of the most sought-after winemakers in California today, Addax is an artisan winery founded by Brian Kearney and Josh Peeples. What began with a few friends and a few barrels of Cabernet in 2009 has evolved into a phenomenal portfolio of wines, including Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon, Petaluma Gap, and Sta. Rita Pinot Noir, and a selection of Sonoma Chardonnays.

Winemaker: To say that Russell Bevan’s fingerprints loom large over the Napa Valley might be an understatement.  With fifteen 100-point wines and counting, the only thing bigger than his impact might be his personality. His path to wine superstardom started with a Masters in Philosophy from Gonzaga, followed by a syndicated column with Wine Spectator. From there he taught himself how to make wine, and the rest is history. Institution, Elyse, Addax, PerUs, Stu Lerner, Adversity, and Bevan Cellars all count themselves among the lucky few labels to have Bevan’s virtuoso winemaking in their bottles.

Vineyards: Tench Vineyard in Oakville provides the Cabernet for the blend. It’s ferrous, rocky soil creates the perfect stressful environment for Cabernet Sauvignon. The Merlot comes from Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard on the hillsides of the Napa Valley AVA.  Planted on rocky soils at 250 to 1050 feet above sea level. The vineyard faces southwest towards San Pablo Bay, enjoying a warm climate with afternoon maritime winds.  Lastly, the Petit Verdot is from the Erba Vineyard in the Atlas Peak AVA. Erba possesses the attributes for a unique terroir with features of steep slopes at high elevations of 1100 to 1550 feet above sea level with very rocky volcanic soils.

Winemaking: Napa has seen a remarkable run of above-average vintages for the majority of the last 10 years, but 2018 might just be the cherry on top! Perfect conditions existed throughout the growing season and winemakers were able to pick when their desired ripeness showed itself. Bevan took a lead from Bordeaux and blended the time-tested trio of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 10% Petit Verdot.  When it was finally time to bring the grapes in, they were hand sorted, brand new, tightly grained, high-quality French barrels. The wine is then matured in these vessels for 19 months.

Profile: This Bordeaux blend from three incredible Napa Valley vineyards bounds from the glass with notes of fresh mountain blueberries and toasted nutmeg. Jasmine flower and toffee draw you deeper into the glass. Plush and voluptuous, this decadent effort combines the brute force of our Tench Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon with the curvaceous nature of our Sugarloaf Vineyard Merlot and the intensity of the Erba Vineyard Petit Verdot.

467 cases produced