2021 Girard Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Napa Valley 750 ml

“It takes ‘Rutherford Dust’ to make great Cabernet Sauvignon,” wrote legendary winemaker André Tchelistcheff. But to acquire great Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon these days, it takes a Benjamin. Or three.

That’s why the Girard Rutherford Cabernet is such a steal. For this stellar bottle, Girard Winery tapped two prime Rutherford sites—one called Ithaca, on Highway 29 near Whitehall Lane, and one adjacent to Beckstoffer Georges III—then gave the best eight barrels the Napa-cult French oak treatment. This is a dream bottle that not only reflects these exquisite sources, but shines in the 2021 vintage that ranks among the best of the century so far.

Winemaker Glenn Hugo selected only eight barrels for this wine, and used only Rolls Royce-level French oak: Taransaud, Sylvain Grand Réserve, Bel Air Absolue, and Fleur de Quintessence. It’s EXACTLY the caliber you’ll find in every cult winery cave in Napa Valley.

Line this up blind with Rutherford’s elite, and it will hold its own: A mix of blueberry pie filling, sagebrush, pencil lead, violets, and dried lavender emerge from the intense nose. The palate unfolds with cassis, blackberry jam, dark cocoa nibs, iron ore, spice cake, and plum. It’s mouthfilling and full-bodied, with long, slow-building tannins and luxurious oak notes fanning out through the finish. 

This is the kind of lush boldness that helped transform Rutherford from relatively unknown farmland to one of the world’s most sought-after Cabernet sites. Savor each bottle from your case over the next decade, and marvel at how little you paid.