Marciano Estate 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750ml

Marciano Estate sits on a genuinely storied 20-acre property southwest of St. Helena, once part of the historic Bourn estate, whose winemaking roots trace all the way back to 1872 — among the very earliest chapters of Napa Valley's own history. Maurice Marciano reimagined the property with a genuinely serious philosophy: small production, estate-grown Cabernet, meticulously farmed to reflect this one specific site. The vineyards themselves were planted by David Abreu, one of Napa's most respected vineyard managers, and the winemaking team draws on genuinely rare pedigree — the estate's winemaker trained at Château Pétrus, Château Haut-Brion, La Mission Haut-Brion in Bordeaux, and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti in Burgundy, before returning to Napa to work alongside Andy Erickson at Screaming Eagle and Dalla Valle. The estate's consulting team includes Benoit Touquette, winemaker at Realm, and the legendary Michel Rolland.

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Cabernet Franc, the Franc component coming from a specific barrel selection chosen for its most textural qualities. Produced, as the estate's own copy puts it, "in quantities dictated solely by quality" — this is genuinely limited, boutique-scale Napa Valley wine.

The critical reception has been genuinely extraordinary. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate awarded a remarkable 98+ Points, describing a wine that's "deep garnet-purple in color," charging "out of the gate with vivacious scents of blueberry compote, blackcurrant preserves, chocolate box and star anise, plus wafts of Indian spices, fragrant soil, potpourri and cast-iron pan, with a touch of pencil lead," "full-bodied, concentrated and with a solid backbone of super ripe, approachable tannins," carrying "bags of preserved black fruits and an epically long finish," recommending "3-4 years in the cellar to truly blossom," with a drinking window stretching "over the next 25 years+." Vinous scored the wine 96 Points. A separate K&L Wines review called it "one of the finest wines I have tasted from Marciano so far," describing "a rich, potent Cabernet Sauvignon" with "quite a bit of opulence," where "black cherry, leather, spice, menthol and chocolate all build effortlessly," the wine "dark, brooding," with "plenty of tannin and overall punch, with all the elements very nicely balanced." Jeb Dunnuck's own tasting found the 2019 "more up-front and sexy" compared to "the more focused, elegant 2018," while retaining "a similar level of purity and class," noting "lots of cassis fruits, spicy oak, lead pencil, and subtle floral and spicy notes." The estate's own tasting notes describe "intense notes of herbal tea, dried black currants, blackberries, cigar box, and vanilla," with a "juicy, silky attack" building "to a rich, full-bodied midpalate" carrying "blackberry conserve, ripe summer raspberry, espresso, chocolate, and gentle minerality." This is genuinely one of the most decorated, exclusive Cabernet Sauvignons in the entire Napa Valley — a real showcase of boutique winemaking at the very highest level.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Marciano Estate is a 20-acre property southwest of St. Helena, Napa Valley, part of the historic Bourn estate dating to 1872, reimagined by Maurice Marciano around a philosophy of small production and meticulously farmed, estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon. The vineyards were planted by David Abreu, Napa's celebrated vineyard manager. The estate's winemaker trained at Château Pétrus, Château Haut-Brion, La Mission Haut-Brion, and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti before returning to Napa to work with Andy Erickson. Consulting winemakers include Benoit Touquette (Realm) and Michel Rolland.

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is 86% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Cabernet Franc, the Cabernet Franc component drawn from a barrel selection specifically chosen for its textural qualities. Bottled at 14.8% ABV, 750ml, in genuinely limited quantities.

Critics Reviews

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate — 98+ Points:
"The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is composed of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple in color, it charges out of the gate with vivacious scents of blueberry compote, blackcurrant preserves, chocolate box and star anise, plus wafts of Indian spices, fragrant soil, potpourri and cast-iron pan, with a touch of pencil lead. Full-bodied, concentrated and with a solid backbone of super ripe, approachable tannins, it has bags of preserved black fruits and an epically long finish. Although delicious now, allow it 3-4 years in the cellar to truly blossom, and drink it over the next 25 years+."

Vinous — 96 Points

K&L Wines (extended professional tasting note):
"The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Marciano Estate is one of the finest wines I have tasted from Marciano so far. A rich, potent Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2019 possesses quite a bit of opulence. Black cherry, leather, spice, menthol and chocolate all build effortlessly. This, dark, brooding Cabernet has plenty of tannin and overall punch, with all the elements very nicely balanced."

Jeb Dunnuck:
"Just bottled in June of this year, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is more up-front and sexy compared to the more focused, elegant 2018, yet it has a similar level of purity and class. Lots of cassis fruits, spicy oak, lead pencil, and subtle floral and spicy notes."

Marciano Estate (official tasting note):
"This 2019 vintage is remarkable in every way, boasting profound aromas and superb textures forming a sumptuous, well-balanced wine that will undoubtedly please for decades to come. The wine flaunts intense notes of herbal tea, dried black currants, blackberries, cigar box, and vanilla in the glass. A juicy, silky attack that builds to a rich, full-bodied midpalate with a generous long finish rife with flavors of blackberry conserve, ripe summer raspberry, espresso, chocolate, and gentle minerality."

Tasting Profile

Nose
Deep garnet-purple. Blueberry compote and blackcurrant preserves lead, joined by chocolate box and star anise, alongside Indian spice, fragrant soil, potpourri, cast-iron pan, and pencil lead.

Palate
Full-bodied and concentrated, with a juicy, silky attack building into blackberry conserve, ripe summer raspberry, espresso, and chocolate, framed by a solid backbone of super-ripe, approachable tannin.

Finish
Epically long, closing with gentle minerality and lingering preserved black fruit — a genuinely profound finish built for real cellaring over the next 25-plus years.

Quick Overview

Food Pairings

• Beef and lamb dishes
• Aged hard cheeses
• Rich, savory braises
• Dark chocolate desserts