By Hillside
2023 Cabernet Sauvignon - Calistoga Reserve

Wine Details
Vintage: 2023
Appellation: Calistoga, Napa Valley
Composition: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Cave Aged: 18 months in French oak; 60% new, 40% once-used
Coopers: Bossuett, Atelier
Harvest Dates: September-October, 2023
Bottling: November 2025
Winemaker: Nicholas Bleecher

Winemaker Comments
This limited production Cabernet Sauvignon was grown in the middle section of a prominent vineyard in Calistoga, Napa Valley. It is a special block where red volcanic soils merge with volcanic ash. Its location is cooler than fruit from the top of the hill, so we get extra hangtime in the resulting fruit.

2023 Napa Valley Vintage
The moderate temperatures of the 2023 vintage allowed a slow, even accumulation of phenolic compounds, resulting in a wine with remarkable balance and finesse. This Cabernet Sauvignon from the West Bench exhibits a vibrant acidity that lifts the concentrated fruit and ensures its age-worthiness. It's a wine that speaks of its distinguished origin and the unique vintage conditions, destined to evolve gracefully in the cellar for decades to come, revealing new nuances and complexities with each passing year. This is not just a wine to be enjoyed now, but a testament to a cellar treasure for generations.

Tasting Notes
The 2023 Hillside Cabernet Sauvignon opens with immediate aromatic intensity, showcasing a vibrant core of black currant and black cherry, lifted by a distinctive violet floral signature. The palate is commanding yet refined, delivering great depth and a rich, velvety concentration where the dark fruit profile melds seamlessly with sophisticated undertones of mocha and sweet tobacco. The hillside-derived crushed rock minerality imparts a wonderful complexity, while the finely ground tannins provide a polished, full-bodied structure. Ending in a long, lingering finish, this wine is an elegant, pure, and powerful expression of its celebrated Calistoga terroir.

Technical Analysis
Alcohol: 14.40%
pH: 3.72
RS: 0.061%
TA: 0.061%
[Information provided by Merchant 23]

 Wine: Hillside, Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Calistoga, Napa Valley, California, USA 2023
Score/Rating: 93
Suggested Drinking Window: 2026 - 2032
Review Date: 05/14/2026
Reviewed By: Jonathan Cristaldi
Tasting Notes: A bold, robust Cabernet with baked cherry and plum fruits, espresso bean nuances, and pressed violets. Powerful, gritty tannins build on the mineral-scented, full-bodied finish.