Sequoia Grove Tonella Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

From The Winemaker

The Tonella Vineyard, a cornerstone of Rutherford’s development as the preeminent terroir for Cabernet in Napa Valley, traces its roots to 1922. It was then that J.J. Ponti purchased the land, alongside Georges de Latour’s acquisition of the adjacent property (now the legendary Beckstoffer Georges III vineyard). Ponti’s legacy, knowledge and respect for the land was passed to his ward Louis Tonella, and then to Louis’ son, Raymond. In 2006, eyeing retirement, Raymond entrusted the vineyard to Sequoia Grove and its then-viticulturalist Steve Allen (brother of the winery’s founder), himself a pioneering Napa Valley viticulturist and colleague of André Tchelistcheff. Since then, the winery has carefully stewarded the vineyard, planting Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc to micro blocks that continue to express the deep and ‘dusty’ complexity of its prime Rutherford terroir.

Score

94 points, Wine Advocate.