Mission Codename Cliffhanger
Down to the last couple of pallets or so, freshly adorned with 93 points, at the lowest it’s been!
To blow the dome clear off your Cabernet-loving mind with a monumental first on Wine Spies. It’s VINE CLIFF in the house! A beacon of ultra-premium Cabernet, off Napa’s ‘billionaires’ row’ Silverado Trail, overlooking the coveted lands of Oakville.
Born in the flawless, impeccable 2021 vintage delivered right to your doorstep for a cool nearly 60% OFF now?! With 93 points??
Per Wine Spectator “Vine Cliff is among Napa’s historic properties. Initially established in 1871 on property formerly owned by George Young, parts of the stone winery still stand. From the early 1900s onward, the estate was unused until Nell and Chuck Sweeney purchased the property in 1985. Chuck, a well-known hotel chain founder, also later co-founded Aston Estate with Fred Schrader and Thomas Rivers Brown… The family produced outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon from the property, which lies in a desirable area in the eastern foothills of Oakville, not far from Dalla Valle and Oakville Ranch.”
Evidently, Vine Cliff has a storied past in the valley. They make powerful, high-scoring, ultra-premium Cabs from their estate, and many sell for north of $200.
Which makes this one, under $40 quite the anomaly.
Of course, this doesn’t quite hit the high notes that their Private Stock 16 rows does, it surely shows a flashy, expensive, and powerful side of Napa Cabernet that rivals most any $100 bottle. Loaded with juicy ripe strawberries, crushed boysenberry, and toasty caramel. Soft and polished, with a deep extraction but a nice acidity to keep it fresh and lively. It’s intense, but balanced. Easy to drink now, and sure to go the distance.
If we had to compare it to one of our all-time favorites, it’s cut off the same cloth as a Frias Family. Both share a similar high-end pedigree, top-tier winemaking, and with our lowest-it-will-ever-be-pricing you simply cannot go wrong.
Fair warning: When it’s gone, it’s GONE.
93 Points – Decanter (to be published in October) “An unfussy, straight-shooting Napa Cabernet, brimming with inky dark-berry fruit saturated in fragrant cedar aromatics and tinged with cocoa powder. Full-bodied, with more of the same aromatics carried through on the palate, the wine is fleshy and supple, supported by well-integrated beams of tannin and an underlying earthiness. Dark, loamy soil tones suggest it is just on the verge of mellowing into deeper complexity. Drink it up now through 2030 for maximum pleasure.”
What the Winery Says
2021 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon


- Winemakers
- Stephany Maillery & Stephan Crétier
- Varietal
- 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
- Vintage
- 2021
- Alcohol
- 14.5%
- Appellation
- Napa Valley
- Aging
- 18 months
- Barrels
- 75% new French oak
About the Winery
Vine Cliff





