As I’ve said a million times, we don’t cite critics’ scores when we offer a wine—but we do look at them, especially when we need a little context on a wine that’s new to us. More so than the score, it was Antonio Galloni’s Vinous writeup of Baker & Hamilton’s 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon that helped me better understand the stunning Napa red in front of me. 

It is produced by the Phillips family of historic Vine Hill Ranch, with invaluable input from their acclaimed winemaker, Françoise Peschon (best known for her long tenure at Araujo), and it has the breed to compete with Oakville icons like Dominus. The Phillips’ created Baker & Hamilton expressly for retailers and restaurants so that wine lovers beyond their mailing list could get a taste of Peschon’s handiwork, and we’re grateful to be one of the retailers to get our hands on some. This is a sublime expression of Napa Cabernet, one with an unmistakably “French” sensibility. The “wow” factor is strong with this one—up to four bottles per customer until it’s gone!

Keen-eyed readers will recognize both Vine Hill Ranch and Françoise Peschon, as both have been associated with some of Napa’s greatest Cabernets. Named “Winemaker of the Year” by the San Francisco Chronicle in 2019, Peschon makes the (expensive, rare, critically acclaimed) estate wines at Vine Hill, but also serves as a consultant to other Napa Valley labels, including Cornell and Heimark. For the Baker & Hamilton bottling, which VHR proprietor Bruce Phillips named for his great-great-grandfather’s hardware/farm tool store, the objective was to create a more accessible expression of the Vine Hill Ranch vineyards, which spread across the loamier, richer “lower benchland” and up into the gravelly slopes of the Mayacamas Range.

Today’s 2019, the debut vintage, is 100% Oakville-grown Cabernet Sauvignon that aged 23 months in 85% new French oak. Just under 800 cases were produced. By any measure, it qualifies as a “cult” wine, with two exceptions—style and price. We’ve talked about the price already, so let’s get to the style, which has been much remarked-upon: This is an elegant, well-balanced wine with no excess extract to weigh it down. The oak, even at this young stage in the wine’s life, is very well integrated. It is dense and saturated but has lots of lift and grip, too, with aromas and flavors that provide a veritable master class in Cabernet varietal character: cassis, blackberry, black and red plums, violets, cedar, tobacco, dark chocolate, graphite, and turned earth. It is full-bodied and focused, balanced enough for a 15+ year run if stored well—but should you choose to dive in now, you’ll be richly rewarded. Decant it an hour before service at 60-65 degrees in large Bordeaux stems and you’re off to the races. This is a big, long meal kind of wine—get it on the table alongside an old-school classic like Tournedos Rossini. Cheers!