2020 1881 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

“Now,” said Jean-Charles Boisset as he pushed aside the Champagne and $100+ Burgundies on the table, put down fresh glasses, and poured his 1881 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. “Try this.” 

Boisset, who hails from Burgundy, is a flamboyant superstar vintner with an immigrant’s love of Napa. He brought Napa Cabernet icon Raymond back to glory, and recently bought the landmark 140-year-old Oakville Grocery, turning the Victorian next door into a museum celebrating Napa Valley’s pioneers. 

It was at Oakville Grocery—which sits across from the To Kalon Vineyard and practically in Opus One’s front yard—that JCB first shared his 1881 Cabernet with us. “People can find Napa Valley wines anywhere,” he said, “so when they come to this place, we want to give them something they cannot experience anywhere else.” He poured the dark-ruby liquid, then swirled his glass and inhaled deeply. “We want to give them something they’ll never forget.” 

Like that earlier 1881 he wowed us with, the 2020 is drawn from JCB’s limitless sources in the mountain AVAs and on the Valley floor. Made under the eye of 100-point consulting winemaker Philippe Melka along with Raymond’s Stephanie Putnam, it’s the kind of Cabernet that made Napa famous.