90pts Jeb Dunnuck

Brought up in 70% new oak, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley is a good introduction to these wines. It has a plump, forward, sexy style in its ripe red and black fruits as well as notes of spring flowers, violets, and chocolate. This medium to full-bodied, fruit-loaded effort is best drunk over the coming 7-8 years or so.

Winemaker Notes

Ann Macauley Watson established the Macauley label in the early 1980s, and today it’s run by her son, Mac, who crushed his first vintage in 2001 after beginning his journey in wine education while working for Rudd Estate. Mac works with his childhood friend Kirk Venge, the son of the world-famous winemaker Nils Venge, representing the second generation of pivotal Venge winemaking in the Napa Valley.

Mac and Kirk share the same goal of producing wines of extreme depth and a range of complexity directly related to each site’s specific terroir, which means sourcing the best fruit from the best vineyards in Napa. Macauley works with To-Kalon, Star, Stagecoach, and Darms Lane Vineyards, to name a few, and their Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of the best fruit from their extraordinary partners, leaving a lasting impression.

Winery Notes

The Macauley Vineyard label was originally established in St. Helena in the early 1980s by Ann Macauley Watson and for several years produced a very well received late harvest Sauvignon Blanc with help from renowned winemaker, Ric Forman.
In the late summer of 2000, Ann’s son Mac went to work for Rudd Estate in Oakville. After several months of winery work and education he was inspired to revive the family label, and, working with winemaker and childhood friend Kirk Venge, crushed his first grapes in October 2001.

Mac and Kirk have one goal: to source the highest quality fruit in Napa Valley and make wines of extraordinary depth and personality. The grapes they choose showcase the terroir of the vineyards and create a remarkable wine-drinking experience.