April 24, 2026
Bud break across the upper terraces. The fog sat below us all week — you can stand in the rows in shirtsleeves and watch the valley disappear under cloud. The volcanic soil is already dry two inches down.
2026 Vintage
Napa Valley Cabernet
Napa Valley, USA
Varietals
Cabernet Sauvignon · Merlot · Cabernet Franc
Winemaker
Revealed on enrollment
Enrollment
95 of 180 spots filled
About this Crew
Revealed on enrollment
Winemaker
A Howell Mountain estate above the fog line — 16 acres of hillside Cabernet on volcanic soil at 1,400 feet, picked by taste rather than by refractometer. The winemaker's name is shared with the Crew on enrollment; until then the platform stands behind the data, the track record, and the samples.
The history.
The block was planted in 1991 by a retired surgeon who wanted mountain Cabernet and didn't care that everyone said the slope was too steep to farm. The current owners bought it in 2009 and brought me on in 2017. Same terraced rows, same volcanic ash, same hawks working the canyon.
What this vintage is showing so far.
“Up here above the fog line we get sun the valley floor doesn't. Bud break was right on time. The thing I watch on the mountain is heat spikes in August — the volcanic soil drains hard and the vines can shut down. Canopy's set up to shade the fruit this year.”
— the winemaker, updated this month
Philosophy.
Mountain Cabernet is about restraint. The tannin is already there — I don't need to chase it with extraction or new wood. Gentle pump-overs, native ferment where the lot allows, and I'd rather pick a touch early and keep the acid than wait for raisins.
The year ahead
Every shipment, every sample, every pick.
Real dates as they're known. Updated as the vintage progresses.
May 2026
Flowering
Set window on the mountain, first yield estimate.
August 2026
Verijuice ships
Pressed from green Cabernet — fierce and herbal.
Early October 2026
Pick expected
Hillside fruit hangs late; date confirmed 48 hours out.
January 2027
Post-ferment sample
Young Cabernet, straight off the press.
May 2027
First barrel sample
From the 60% new French oak.
October 2027
Blend trial
Crew votes on the Merlot and Cab Franc proportions.
May 2028
Bottling
After roughly 18 months in barrel.
September 2028
Wine arrives
Napa Valley Cabernet, 2026.
May 2026
Flowering
Set window on the mountain, first yield estimate.
August 2026
Verijuice ships
Pressed from green Cabernet — fierce and herbal.
Early October 2026
Pick expected
Hillside fruit hangs late; date confirmed 48 hours out.
January 2027
Post-ferment sample
Young Cabernet, straight off the press.
May 2027
First barrel sample
From the 60% new French oak.
October 2027
Blend trial
Crew votes on the Merlot and Cab Franc proportions.
May 2028
Bottling
After roughly 18 months in barrel.
September 2028
Wine arrives
Napa Valley Cabernet, 2026.
Meet the current Crew
21
members
15
cities
5
countries represented
9 yrs
average tenure in wine
No individual profiles — privacy matters inside the Crew. You'll meet each other once you're in.
How it's priced
By the vine.
The winemaker sets the price per vine. Buy as few as 5 — choose how many in the next step. Your bottles are allocated pro-rata to your vines.
Napa Valley Cabernet
Priced by the vine · 5-vine minimum
$184 / vine
From $920 · 5 vines · USD
- A share of the lot, by the vine (5-vine minimum)
- Samples across the season: verijuice, post-ferment, barrel, finished wine
- A vote at every fork — pick date, oak, where the blend lands
- Your bottles at release, allocated pro-rata to your vines
- Livestream access to every moment
85 vines left
Pickup or ship
How your wine reaches you.
Swing by the tasting room when the next shipment is ready. Free. For everyone else, ship is the default and equally smooth.
Ship to my address
Standard carrier, adult signature required. Flat fee per shipment. You can switch the destination per shipment at any time.
Ships to: US
Choose at signup. Switch per shipment anytime.
Recent updates
From the rows.
April 9, 2026
Finished pruning the steep block. Sixteen acres on a mountain takes longer than sixteen acres anywhere else — every row is a climb. Cane counts are down deliberately; I want smaller crops and more concentration this year.
March 28, 2026
21 of you on the Crew. Welcome. A note for the new folks: mountain Cabernet is a long road — your bottles won't ship until late 2028. If you want instant gratification, you picked the wrong hill.
Join this Crew.
One year of your life, inside one vineyard's year. You'll follow the winemaker from bud break to bottle.