White Rock is a Napa Valley institution: a model of consistent excellence, classic styling, and best-in-class value. It’s probably the first name out of my mouth when the subject of Napa Cabernet comes up, and yet I continue to be surprised by how many people don’t know anything about the estate and its wines.

“Unsung” is a descriptor often attached to White Rock, which, frankly, makes no sense to me: Their now-legendary “Claret” is part of a lineup that speaks to the “Paris Tasting” era of Napa Cabernet as clearly as any of the actual Paris Tasting participants—and yet, look at the price of today’s 2018. As always, White Rock Claret is the wine world’s answer to the Oakland A’s of “Moneyball” fame. It’s just not the Vandendriessche family’s style to hoot and holler about it. That’s my job, so let me get to it: If you’d like a one-stop survey course on Napa Valley’s significance on the world wine stage, pick up some of this. You won’t find a better value. 

We have told the White Rock story many times before, but that story is essential to appreciating a brand that has—perhaps by choice—long flown under the radar. The property’s first incarnation as a wine estate was in the 1870s, when one “Dr. Pettingill” planted vines and constructed a cellar using white stone (hence the name) he quarried himself. Henri Vandendriessche, a native of Northern France, and his Napa-raised wife, Claire, purchased the somewhat rundown estate in 1977 and set about restoring it. It became their family home and the place they raised their two sons, Christopher and Michael, who now oversee winemaking and vineyard management, respectively. Parents and sons alike are vignerons (wine-growers) in the truest sense of that word, and their humble dimensions and hands-on approach create wines that are genuine treasures of the Napa Valley.

The last time we checked in with White Rock, it was in the wake of 2017’s terrible wildfire season. The Vandendriessche family homes had burned to the ground, as had some other structures on the property, but the vineyards, and wines, emerged mostly unscathed. “Neither the estate nor the vintage [was] lost and we continue to make wine every day,” they announced at the time.

Here we are a few years later and it’s like nothing ever happened: the wine is superb as always, with the 2018 cépage (blend) working out to 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot. Taking as its name the old British term for the brighter, more red-fruited style of Bordeaux that predominated in years past, “Claret” is a much different animal than most of the inky Cabernet blends coming out of Napa (and, for that matter, Bordeaux) these days. It has many of the classic “Bordeaux” traits we’re more likely to read about than taste these days: red and black fruits alike; notes of cedar and cigar box; and a palpable soil character.

Located just above the Silverado Trail, in the shadow of Napa’s Atlas Peak, the White Rock vineyards extend from the more alluvial valley floor (where most of their Chardonnay is planted) up into hills of volcanic material and bedrock. These hillside sites deliver small-berried, richly concentrated Cabernet Sauvignon, along with the supporting cast of Bordeaux varieties for the Claret blend. Their farming methods were sustainable long before that was a “thing,” and while they haven’t pursued organic certification, their natural practices are well-documented: “The estate has never been subjected to herbicides, pesticides, or fumigants,” they note on their website. “In the winter, we plant ‘green manure’ crops such as bell beans, rye, and clover, which help to nurture the soil through the cold wet months.”

The 2018 “Claret” aged 20 months in a mix of new and used French oak barrels, then was allowed time to knit together in bottle before its release into the market. It’s a deep garnet red all the way to the rim, with aromas of blackberry, cassis, and red currant complemented by tobacco, underbrush, dried flowers, and a big dusting of graphite that will trick even expert tasters into thinking they’ve got a Bordeaux on their hands. What is most striking here is the wine’s refinement, even at this young age: it is firmly structured but also perfumed and approachable, medium-plus in body and filled with tension. Balance is what will give this wine a long life, not an abundance of tannin. It should peak around 2027 and continue to evolve gracefully for many years beyond that. This is not to say that you shouldn’t enjoy a bottle or two now, because it will perform just fine after about 30 minutes in a decanter. Serve it at 60-65 degrees, in Bordeaux stems, with something that shares its subtle sophistication and hint of woodland underbrush. If this is your first White Rock experience, I guarantee it won’t be your last. Cheers!