Have you ever noticed how we sometimes only showcase a winery one time, but some we show again and again? When we repeat a brand, you can be assured that we love the winery - and its wines.

Year after year, Topel Winery has thrilled us with its beautifully-crafted wines. Today’s spectacular Topel 2008 Batuello Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon marks the eleventh time that we’ve showcased a Topel wine.

The 2008 vintage was a very difficult one for many Napa Valley wineries as the vintage was tainted by smoke from nearby wildfires. The Battuello vines, which sat high atop the Napa Valley, were well out of reach and therefore spared. The weather also played cruel tricks on the vintage but, again, Battuello escaped. The resulting fruit was extraordinary. So, too, was the wine that was made from the fruit of the gnarled old vines of the vineyard.

This single vineyard delight exudes a plethora of bold, dark fruits that balance atop a pyramid of more subtle tobacco, eucalyptus and cedar. This delicious wine is very highly recommended.

Enjoy now, but cellar a few bottles to enjoy over the next several years.