Hundred Acre, Morgan's Way Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2019

This is the new "Kayli Morgan's Vineyard" 

Overview of the Wine
A relatively new (cult) domaine, only established in 2000 by the flamboyant winemaker Jayson Woodbridge from Canada in St. Helena (Napa Valley -  California). A specialist “pur sang” who produces high quality wines from principally Cabernet Sauvignon.

The name “Hundred Acre” has been derived from “Hundred Acre Wood”, where Winnie the Pooh and his friends were living. Jayson Woodbridge, who used to be an investment banker, first bought the “Kayli Morgan” vineyard (3,6 Ha) in Howell Mountain already in the 1990’s. This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon saw his debut in 2000.

Further acquisitions were the “Ark Vineyard” (6 Ha) and a very small, but well-situated hillside parcel of only 2 Ha, just above the historic “Eisele Vineyard” near Calistoga. His approach in winemaking has been very serious. The vineyards are in excellent condition. Only 1 grape cluster per vine is allowed, so the pruning is very extensive, and the yields are extremely low. During harvest time, at least 5 passes are made through the vineyards and all grapes are hand sorted and selected. He uses new French oak barrels to age his wines for a period of at least 24 months (some of special cuvées age even 36 -42 months!).

Since 2004, a new project has been started in Barossa Valley (Australia), to produce some extraordinary wines from the Shiraz grape. Unfortunately, it isn’t easy to lay your hands onto some bottles unless you are on the mailing list. Furthermore, some of his wines received the perfect score in certain vintages, so his collection of wines is in high demand.

"One of California’s (perhaps the world’s) most flamboyant, talented, contrarian wine producers is Napa Valley’s Jayson Woodbridge, the owner of Hundred Acre winery. Woodbridge has been running in high gear since his debut 2000. His 100% Cabernet Sauvignons are made primarily by him, with some consulting advice from Philippe Melka. His first effort was from his home vineyard, Kayli Morgan, which is situated east of St. Helena. That offering was followed by a Cabernet from the 15 acre Ark Vineyard on Howell Mountain. Woodbridge recently purchased a tiny, well-situated hillside parcel above the Eisele Vineyard, southeast of Calistoga. His special projects include the Cabernet Sauvignon Precious (in issue #174 I mistakenly called it “Previous”), a wine harvested grape by grape rather than bunch by bunch, and his Cabernet Sauvignon Deep Time, which sees extended oak aging (36-42 months). All things considered, this is an extraordinary group of wines. They are not easy to secure unless you are on Hundred Acre’s mailing list, but they are truly profound offerings that showcase a variety of Napa Valley terroirs as well as different harvesting and barrel aging techniques. The newest enterprise is the Dark Matter Zinfandel, a Zinfandel that is pushed to the limits of ripeness from the high elevations of Howell Mountain. The most common characteristic among all of the Hundred Acre Cabernet Sauvignons is their incredibly opulent, creamy textures. That character vindicates Woodbridge’s harvesting decisions as he seems to achieve extraordinarily sweet, noble tannins in all of his wines. There are approximately 250 cases of Jayson Woodbridge’s special projects, including the Precious and Deep Time cuvees." - Robert Parker

Grape / Blend
Cabernet Sauvignon

Origin
Napa Valley, California

Winemaker Tasting Notes
Deep ruby red hue. The nose and palate are in perfect harmony and reveal aromas of black fruits, oak and spice. The attack is powerful and underpinned by direct, velvety tannins. This wine offers good structure and aromatic persistency.

100 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Kayli Morgan 2018)
Sporting an opaque garnet-purple color, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Kayli Morgan Vineyard needs a fair bit of coaxing to unlock fabulously evocative notions of pure cassis, ripe, juicy black plums and wild blueberries, plus suggestions of candied violets, cinnamon stick and fenugreek, with a touch of fallen leaves. The medium to full-bodied palate is packed with poise and sophistication, shimmering with energetic black and blue fruit layers and a perfectly plush texture, finishing with a dazzling display of minerals and floral fireworks. A hands-down, jaw-dropping beauty!

Product size: 750ml