“Anthony will quickly admit the reason he started Faustini is because of the richness and depth of Cabernet Sauvignon growing in Napa Valley.” – The Napa Wine Project

That’s easy to say when you collaborate with an Opus One winemaker and source Beckstoffer fruit. This one IS 89% Beckstoffer George III Cabernet Sauvignon, with 11% Stagecoach Malbec. Earning an easy 94 points but clocking in over half off? Seriously?!

There’s that $175 Secret Veil, the 2019 of which many Ops still consider one of our greatest hits. Then there’s 1023, cut from the same cloth, from barrels that didn’t make it to the flagship selection… Still, some of the best fruit out there, and in the big picture, this too is essentially a single vineyard. It’s just not mentioned for NDA purposes. Meanwhile, those who know, know.

In the Faustini hierarchy, 1023 sits between the Secret Veil and the Napa Cabernet. It was named after their daughter’s birth time, 10:23 AM. It too is made by Opus One & Clos du Val alum Kian Tavakoli.

Tech tycoon-turned-vintners, Anthony and Michelle Faustini, are true perfectionists. Enough to end up on the short list of wineries with access to highly allocated vineyards. In 2005, they started with a Cab project sourced from Beckerstoffer Dr. Crane in St. Helena and never looked back. Fast-forward twenty-something years, and the couple continues to churn out some of Napa’s best-kept secrets.

Speaking of secrets, don’t tell anyone but per Decanter, “This Rutherford lot dates back to 1895 plantings by Mrs. Thomas Rutherford. Beaulieu founder Georges de Latour popularized it in 1928 with renowned wines produced by André Tchelistcheff throughout the 1960s & 70s. Georges III is all red fruit with rose and floral aromas, a silky texture that depicts a quintessentially soft Rutherford Cabernet.”

Which is what we find here in this glass. An exceptional wine, dense, rich, and earthy, with broad, plush tannins and tiers of complex red currant, Bing cherry, earth, cedar, mineral, and menthol. It keeps a tight focus on the long, rich, filigreed and pedigreed finish. All class from head to toe.

Did we say GIII under $50 just because the label does not spell it out? Pile up, Ops!

94 Points – James Suckling “Currants and blackberries on the nose with some dried flowers and cloves. Full-bodied with firm tannins and a fresh, vivid finish. Needs a year or two to soften, but serious. Try after 2025.”