The Joy of Cabernet
Introducing Our Cabernet Allocation Program
Rombauer’s Bordeaux blend, Le Meilleur du Chai, and Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons from Stice Lane and Atlas Peak, are some of the finest wines crafted in the Napa Valley. The 2018 vintage will be released in March 2023. Opportunities to secure your allocation through pre-release access will beginning in fall 2022. Please sign up below for updates and to be the first to access these magnificent wines.
Access the Allocation
If you would like to be among the first for access to the 2018 vintage, please join the list below. We will contact you with more information as the wines develop.
With only 24 barrels produced in the 2018 vintage, these wines are sure to sell out quickly. Pre-release access will open soon. Purchase through February 2023 with zero bottle limits and gain access to our exclusive Cabernet and Cigar dinners. The official allocation release is March 2023 and bottle limits will then apply.
Sourced from meticulously farmed estate vineyards and further culled in the cellar, these are rare reserve bottlings, highly regarded among key wine critics. Due to increasing demand and limited quantities of these special wines, we have decided to offer them via allocation each year in March when we release new vintages after additional aging time in our cellar.
Cabernet Sauvignon was the very first wine Rombauer produced as it was Koerner’s favorite wine. Napa Valley represents only 4% of all the wine produced in California, with ultra-premium Cabernets such as these representing just a tiny fraction of that percentage. True wine lovers understand their scarcity, complexity, and beauty.
Our Collection of Cabernets
Stice Lane
Recognizing the Stice Lane Vineyard as a site capable of producing Cabernet Sauvignon with classic Napa Valley character, the Rombauer family produced their first wine from this site with the 2004 vintage. This wine was one of our founder Koerner Rombauer’s favorite wines and remains extraordinarily popular amongst our Cabernet lovers.
2018 Tasting Note
Intense aromas of cassis, black olive, and cedar are bold and enticing in the glass. Rich and viscous on the palate, cassis and olive flavors are framed by notes of dark chocolate and warm pie crust. The finish is long and lingering, giving the wine great depth and leaving you wanting another sip.
St. Helena
Oct. 1 - Oct. 30, 2018
100% Cabernet Sauvignon
25.0
14.80%
17 months in French Oak (100% new)
Atlas Peak
The Rombauer family produced their first single-vineyard designate from this site with the 2003 vintage. This 20-barrel blend showcases the unique character of wines from this remote, rugged site high on the hills on the eastern side of Napa Valley and is a classic example of a mountain fruit Cabernet Sauvignon.
2018 Tasting Note
Cranberry and cassis aromas mingle in the glass with hints of holiday spice, vanilla, and a subtle note of tobacco. The deep and concentrated palate has black fruit, vanilla, and spice flavors with ripe, firm tannins and a notable length, creating a beautifully balanced structure, typical of a mountain fruit Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley.
Atlas Peak
Sept. 27 - Oct. 1st, 2018
100% Cabernet Sauvignon
26.8
14.8%
17 months in French oak (60% new)
Le Meilluer Du Chai
This wine was first produced in 1983 when Koerner Rombauer and his winemaker sat down to blend their third vintage of wine. As they tasted through the lots, they realized certain barrels had a power and elegance distinct from the rest. They carefully chose those to blend and bottle separately, deeming them Le Meilleur du Chai which, in French, means The Best of the Cellar.
2018 Tasting Note
Intense black cherry and cassis aromas with notes of subtle green olive and seamless oak all mingle in the glass. The palate is poised, concentrated, and complex with continued flavors of bright cherry and cassis with hints of spice, and vanilla bean. Very finely structured tannins frame the wine and bright acidity give it freshness, creating a long and balanced, classically structured, modern Cabernet Sauvignon.
Napa Valley
Oct. 20th - Oct. 22nd, 2018
96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot
25.6
14.5%
17 months in French oak (100% new)
Winemaking Starts in the Vineyard
The Intersection of Art and Science
Optical Sorting
Optical Sorting
An example of our commitment to innovation and quality, this machine takes a photo of every single berry to confirm they match our standard for fruit. Berries which don’t, whether they are too small or too large, are separated and sent to compost, ensuring only the best fruit goes into these Cabernets.
Barrel Fermentation
Barrel Fermentation
One of the hallmark distinguishing factors in the winemaking process of these wines is that all fruit goes into barrel for fermentation. This process, manual and time-consuming, creates wines that are richer, have higher definition of fruit and feature a better integration of oak to create a seamlessness on the palate.
Basket Pressing
Basket Pressing
Once the wine has finished fermentation, it is drained off and the remaining fruit transferred to traditional basket presses. This process, used for centuries, is used to extract the remaining wine from the skins.
Barrel Aging
Barrel Aging
The wines are then transferred to barrels to age where the years spent aging in our caves creates a seamless integration of fruit and oak. We age them for longer than many of our Napa Valley peers, ensuring the additional time imparts the structure and depth we expect and appreciate in these Cabernets.
"Le Meilleur du Chai is our no-holds-barred effort to achieve a wine so good it can stand up to the world’s finest red wines. It’s meant to be a transformative wine, a conversation stopper. A wine that defies description."
"The magic of winemaking is that you create something with your own hands, from your own piece of earth, that lasts for years.” - Koerner Rombauer
