Hertelendy Vineyards is a boutique, ultra-premium producer in Napa Valley led by founder Ralph Hertelendy and consulting winemaker Phil Titus (famed for his decades of acclaim at Chappellet). Hertelendy specializes in bold, hedonistic Bordeaux-style reds sourced from high-elevation, mountain terroirs including Howell Mountain, Atlas Peak, Pritchard Hill, and their high-altitude Rockwell Ridge estate vineyard. The estate is celebrated for creating wines that combine intense, muscular concentration with an extraordinarily velvety and polished mouthfeel.

The 2016 vintage in Napa Valley is widely regarded as an absolute benchmark year, producing Cabernet Sauvignons of monumental depth, structural precision, and vibrant freshness. Sourced predominantly from volcanic mountain plots, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon features a classic Bordeaux blend dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon along with Petit Verdot, Malbec, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. Aged for nearly two years in French and Hungarian oak barrels, it delivers a profound, full-bodied experience where dense, dark mountain fruit meets seamless, fine-grained tannins and an invigorating undercurrent of graphite and earth.

Why You’ll Love it

• This is a spectacular showcase of 2016 Napa Valley mountain Cabernet, combining power and opulence with silky, refined elegance.

• The 2016 vintage strikes a perfect balance, offering rich, concentrated dark fruit balanced by a vibrant thread of natural acidity and fresh minerality.

• The nose is layered and intense, bursting with aromas of blackberry marmalade, warm cassis, purple flowers, lavender, sweet tobacco, and clove.

• The palate is broad, full-bodied, and multi-dimensional, offering a plush mouthfeel, chocolatey nuances, and a rock-solid line of fine-grained tannins.

• While drinking extraordinarily well after a long decant, this powerhouse red has the structural integrity to continue evolving in the cellar for decades.

How To Serve It

• Serve this wine at a cool room temperature between 62°F and 65°F to allow the dark fruit and complex oak spices to stay tightly aligned.

• Given its mountain pedigree and firm core, we strongly recommend a generous 1.5 to 2-hour decant to allow the wine to soften and release its full aromatics.

• Pour into appropriate stemware to give the expansive, concentrated bouquet plenty of surface area to unfurl.

• This rich, muscular red demands rich culinary partners, pairing effortlessly with prime ribeye steak, roasted venison loin, or braised short ribs.