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| Country: | United States |
| Regions: | California California (Napa) |
| Winery: | Royal Prince |
| Grape Type: | Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Organic: | Yes |
| Vintage: | 2021 |
| Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
Big, bold and racy, this Cabernet Sauvignon has a dense purple, almost opaque hue and offers up an electrifying bouquet dark red, blue and black fruits with notes of tobacco leaf, graphite and spicy oak. Opulent and layered it flexes its power but is framed by refreshing acidity with silky, sweet tannins. The 2021 displays loads of potential for being enjoyed in its youth, while also rewarding patience over the following decade. For bang for your buck, you can’t find better, or as Robb Report states, “Royal Prince is making the best wines you can buy for your money right now.”
Review:
Made by Maayan Koschitzky (of Atelier Philippe Melka), the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is all varietal brought up in French oak. Its deeper ruby/plum hue is followed by a classic Cabernet Sauvignon nose of cassis and black cherries supported by plenty of sappy herbs, graphite, and obvious minerality. This medium-bodied, lively, elegant Cabernet has ripe, building tannins, a good spine of acidity, and outstanding length. Drink this classic, impeccably made 2021 over the coming 10–12 years, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it evolve longer. (Jeb Dunnuck)
-Jeb Dunnuck 93+ Points
It’s a crisp winter night in Napa in 2018.
There’s roast chicken in the oven. David Green and Maayan Koschitzky are standing at the counter in David’s kitchen, trying out a sample bottle of the 2016 Royal Prince Pinot Noir before dinner.
“What do you think?” asked David.
“Well, when are you bottling the next one?” said Maayan with a playful smirk.
“Um, well in three months,” said David.
“Good, we’ve got time to fix it.”
With a hearty laugh, the seed of an enduring partnership was planted. David Green, a dynamic wine industry veteran, and Maayan Koschitzky, one of the Napa Valley’s most revered winemakers, would soon join forces.
“You’re hired!” David continued.
“You can’t afford me,” Maayan shot back playfully.
Around this time, Maayan was ramping up his own brand, La Pelle wines, and David was able to make some introductions and use his own industry expertise to help his friend with his brand. It was clear that a synergy was emerging. Soon David would buy out his investors in Royal Prince Wines and invite Maayan to become an equity partner.
“Maayan has all the reasons to be a primadonna, but he’s not,” says David. The duo work so well together, they launched additional brands under the Royal Wine & Spirits umbrella, including Slam Dunk, Ride and Ridden, and Slate. All of the wines met with immediate acclaim.
David Green and Maayan Koschitzky have an enviable rolodex. Between the two of them, they have contacts at hundreds of the best wineries in Napa and Sonoma Counties, and monthly contact with at least 50. This places them at the front of the line for new sourcing opportunities, whether it’s for prime vineyard contracts or a blue-chip winery with five or six more barrels of coveted Cabernet than they know they can sell.
On-Scene, Real-time Knowledge
Maayan’s role as Director of Winemaking for Atelier Melka finds him making the rounds in the vineyards of nearly every AVA in Napa and Sonoma Counties, from the pop of the first Pinot Noir bud in Russian River Valley all the way through the season until the last Cabernet Sauvignon berry is picked on Howell Mountain.
What this means is that he has a running list in his mind of the best-performing AVAs in the North Coast, even before harvest begins. In this way Maayan can focus his energies on the very best-performing sites and “sweet spots” when choosing fruit and wines to buy for the Royal Prince label.
DAOU Vineyards Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Petit Verdot.
The 2021 DAOU Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is emblematic of Paso Robles as a world-class region for Bordeaux-style wines. Intense purple-red hues foreshadow deep aromas of black fruit, pomegranate, tobacco, mocha, and bay leaf. Trailing notes of clove, nutmeg, and vanilla emerge as the wine opens up in the glass. Opulent textures expand across the palate with flavors of red fruit, blueberry, and chocolate-covered raspberry. The overall experience is fresh and rich, concluding with velvety tannins and impressive length.
Review:
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is blended with 23% Petit Verdot, made entirely with free-run juice, and it will be matured for 16 months in 50% new French oak. Opaque ruby, it offers pure aromas of cassis, violet, grilled meats, desert sage and bell pepper. The full-bodied palate is powdery, energetic and detailed with a long, layered finish.
-Wine Advocate 94-96 Points
Robert Mondavi The Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon To Kalon Vineyard is made from 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot.
The story of Robert Mondavi Winery begins here, with the To Kalon Reserve. This tier represents the pinnacle of the wines produced by the winery. The 2021 vintage offers fresh black fruit with dark chocolate, dried herbs, and hints of vanilla and violet. Flavors of black plum and blackberry with red fruit and a hint of graphite on the finish. Elegant and plush with sweet, beautifully integrated tannins and a lengthy finish.
Review:
2021 Robert Mondavi The Reserve To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is a beautifully crafted wine with impressive intensity, depth, and a balanced structure that carries the day. From the To Kalon Vineyard in Oakville, the portion owned by Constellation, comes this blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot. Pure blackberry fruit, cassis, graphite, and violet aromas leap from the glass, nuanced by fragrant, toasty new cedar wood. Full-bodied, framed by an array of plush dark black fruit notes, currants, crème de cassis, and polished tannins that are firm and elongated, with ironstone mineral accents. Dynamic in its length and texture, it is utterly intriguing, with a beckoning quality that lingers after each sip. You want to know precisely where this wine is going—demanding your attention.
- Decanter 98 Points
The 2021 Titus Family Estate Reserve embodies the depth, concentration, and beauty of our Ehlers Lane vineyard with grace and elegance. A core of Blueberry, black currant, mulberry and warm coffee are rounded out with hints of lilac and maduro wrapped cigar. Inkiness in the glass gives the wine depth and length with rich finely knit tannins melting to chocolate pot de crème intensity. Crème de cassis and berry tart notes yield to espresso and rich oak on the finish as the palate endures. Enjoy 2025-2041.
Review:
Lastly, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Family Estate Reserve is based on 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9.5% Petit Verdot, and the rest Malbec. It's a touch more focused and linear compared to the Imperatus, but I love the purity and precision in its cr me de cassis, espresso, classy oak, and spicy, floral aromatics. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, with fine tannins and a seamless, layered mouthfeel, as well as ripe tannins, it's going to benefit from 2-3 years in the cellar and evolve for 15 years with ease.
-Jed Dunnuck 94 Points
Review:
“The medium-bodied palate is so tightly wound at this youthful stage, slowly revealing layer upon layer of fragrant black and red fruits with loads of mineral sparks, supported by beautifully fine-grained yet firm tannins and seamless acidity, finishing with epic length and a whole firework display of mineral and floral notes. This is gorgeous. ” Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent 100 Points
The 2021 Shafer Hillside Select is crafted exclusively from grapes grown on Shafer's rugged hillside vineyards, where steep, rocky soils push the vines to produce low yields of intensely concentrated fruit. The unique terroir, combined with Napa Valley's hallmark climate of warm, sunny days and cool nights, contributed to a vintage with exceptional structure, lush tannins, and deep, vibrant color. The 2021 growing season exemplified these conditions, allowing the grapes to mature beautifully by early September, resulting in a wine with refined, pure aromas and flavors that reflect the richness and elegance of the vineyard.
“Such a beautifully balanced wine with tremendous staying power and expressive Stags Leap ironstone minerality with heady sagebrush and conifer notes with white pepper and walnut husk. The wine has an impressive depth of red-toned fruit on the mid-palate framed by tannins that practically dance across the palate, exuding length, tension, and power. Huckleberry and black cherry fruits, black truffle, dried violets, graphite, and salted dark chocolate are all framed by racy acidity, which keeps everything fresh and lifted. The 2021 releases mark Elias Fernandez's 38th vintage as Shafer's winemaker. He was hired by John Shafer in 1984, two weeks out of UC Davis.”
-Decanter, 99 Points
“The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select was tasted as a barrel sample. Deep garnet-purple in color, it charges out with powerful notes of creme de cassis, plum preserves, and juicy blueberries giving way to an undercurrent of tar, candied violets, and star anise. The full-bodied palate is concentrated and impactful, delivering a firm, grainy texture and well-knit freshness to support the generous black and blue fruits, finishing long with loads of mineral and exotic spices sparks. This is impressive!”
-The Wine Independent, 98-100 Points
“As always, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon that will spend 28 months in new barrels. Its deep purple hue gives way to a behemoth of a wine that has incredible cassis, black raspberry, and even blue fruits to go with loads of camphor, minty herbs, graphite, and darker chocolate. It's full-bodied, concentrated, yet pure, flawlessly balanced, and has a great finish.”
-Jeb Dunnuck, 97-99 Points
Among the tapestry of historic vineyards in Napa Valley, there are a few standout names, but even fewer sites, if any, involve the rare combination of legendary wine, romance, and a touch of mystery. Bonny’s Vineyard is such a place. This four-acre vineyard in the Oakville District is both a special piece of land and a unique part of Napa history. It was planted in 1974 by Justin Meyer, the winemaker and co-founder of Silver Oak Cellars, as a gift to his wife, Bonny. Ideally situated in a gravelly spot adjacent to Conn Creek on the valley floor, Bonny’s Vineyard was responsible for a memorable string of Silver Oak vintages over the course of two decades.
Justin Meyer stopped producing the Bonny's Vineyard designate after the 1991 vintage. After replanting in 1999, the family has again decided to make a single vineyard bottling. True to the orignal, this is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged in 100% American oak barrels for almost 3 full years. The nose exhibits dark fruit aromas of cherry and plum mingling with cedar and cardamom and a hint of eucalyptus. The palate is the heart of this wine, with concentrated fruit on the entry and luscious, silky tannins filling the mouth with an almost endless finish.
As distinct and impressive a terroir as we farm in the Napa Valley. The rocky, gravel-rich soils contribute a distinct sauvage/mineral character, creating a stunning complexity to play off of Cabernet’s natural robust and fruit-driven personality from Oakville. In 2021 Argot added a new vineyard block to our holdings at Bonny’s. Deeper gravel and the famously low-yielding Disney clone conspire towards awesome complexity, and a deeply mysterious, brooding personality. A wholly different Cabernet from its 2021 siblings that you will not want to miss. Only 150 cases produced.
Review:
"Opaque purple-black colored, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Bonny's Vineyard prances out with showy scents of Morello cherries, wild blueberries, and black raspberries, leading to a core of black currant jelly and violets. The full-on, full-bodied palate is densely laden with black and blue berry layers, framed by fine-grained tannins and well-knit freshness, finishing long and earthy."
- 97 Points, Lisa Perrotti Brown, The Wine Independent
Certified organic, ungrafted vines over 130 years old; a "grand cru" site of Paso Robles. Transcendent. Lovely sweet red fruits, loads of spice and pepper, violets, chalk, even a hint of pineapple grass on the nose. White stones and wild strawberries in a lovely pas de deux on the palate, with vibrant energy and finesse. What a knockout.
Review:
Broad-shouldered and powerfully structured yet detailed and stylish, with deep flavors of blackberry and cherry accented by bittersweet chocolate, orange peel and fruitcake spices that gather tension and richness on the slightly firm finish.
-Wine Spectator 95 Points
A balanced and memorable Chardonnay that starts with aromas of orangeblossom, Asian pear, crème fraiche, peaches and chamomile, complemented bynotes of toffee, honeysuckle, and graham cracker. On the palate, flavors of greenapple, Meyer lemon and stonefruit are finished with notes of tangerine and vanilla.This Chardonnay is smooth, creamy and balanced with a lingering acidity and a longfinish. This is the perfect wine to pair with a brie or gouda cheese plate drizzled withlocal honey and hazelnut.
Review:
Fruit is sourced primarily from the southern part of Napa Valley, and aged five months in French oak. With its billowy mouthfeel, the liquid seemingly floats above the palate. Lemon curd, daffodil, cinnamon toast, and creamy vanilla sandalwood are delicious and generous flavors. This is approachable luxury. - The Tasting Panel, July/August 2025
-Tasting Panel/Somm Journal 92 Points