Ok Ops, hope you scored the Judd’s Hill Founder’s Art Reserve we just ran today? From this still family-owned and run winery. This is its sibling. Same family, same tiny production, same incredible deal, Single Vineyard, CCOF Certified Organic, Sustainable, and Fish Friendly Farming Certified! Yours for OVER 50% OFF.

This one’s the Kairos Vineyard Cabernet, from a certified organic parcel another family farms on the southeastern slopes of Napa Valley, between the Coombsville and Atlas Peak appellations. They reserve a premium section of those vines just for Judd’s Hill, and Judd’s Hill is the first winery to pick from Kairos every single harvest.

Fun bit of intel: Kairos is ancient Greek for the exact right moment, the one you either seize or lose forever. The 2022 vintage was one of those harvests.

2022 tested Napa vintners and growers for real! A brutal heat spike hit right as Cabernet was closing in on ripeness, and up the valley spots took the worst of it. BUT Kairos sits between the Coombsville and Atlas Peak appellations, and Coombsville is one of the coolest spots in the whole valley thanks to its close proximity to San Pablo Bay, often running some 10 degrees cooler than much of the rest of the valley. The combination of elevation, exposure, and the well drained Coombs gravelly loam soils MADE THIS WINE!

It drinks with the freshness and aromatics we normally see with the 2021’s. Not gonna lie, we saw 2022 and thought to ourselves, oh no… please don’t be super extracted and hot…🧐 …..but nope, our raised eyebrow didn’t last long!! DELICIOUS, FRESH & AROMATIC!!

The nose rolls out a welcome mat of aromas of graphite, cassis, and hints of violets. The palate is fresh and lively with black cherry, kirsch with a slight herbal lift which greets you upfront, followed by black currant and spice riding out the finish. The tannins are polished (probably coming from the additional time this wine spent in the barrel). This is a great medium bodied little single vineyard cabernet from a third generation of the same family!

$95 at the winery. $45 here. Grab this one alongside the Founder’s Art Reserve, or on its own. Seize the moment! ⚡