New wines from an old vineyard 100% Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon

The first commercial vintage from this longtime grape-growing family, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon was made by Joel Aiken (ex BV). After 27 days on skins, the wine matured in 60% new French oak (Seguin Moreau Icône). Black cherries lead the way on the nose, gently framed by cedar and vanilla shadings, with a pleasant herbal nuance adding complexity. It's medium to full-bodied and supple in the mouth, with a silky feel and more savory, loam-like characters on the lingering finish.

The Morisoli family has been farming in Rutherford for 120 years. Their 53-acre vineyard is prime real estate, neighboring Inglenook, Bella Oaks and Staglin vineyards along the Rutherford Bench west of Highway 29. For years the family sold grapes to wineries such as Etude and Sequoia Grove before establishing their namesake label in 2018 after fifth-generation Chris Morisoli returned home to work the ranch with his father, Gary. Harvesting a small selection from their top block, the family employed former Beaulieu Vineyard winemaker Joel Aiken for their limited production wine, aged 27 months in 60% new oak barrels for a textbook Rutherford Cabernet. 140 cases made.

One of the more beautiful, fresh, and energetic 2020s of the vintage. Lifted red-toned fruits intermix with dusty minerals leading to a medium-bodied Cabernet rife with a lovely saline mineral edge and bright boysenberry fruits alongside red currants.

Tightly-knit with very fine-grained tannins that are soft and almost satiny, with a tobacco and white-pepper-tinged finish that goes on and on to reveal dried sage and dark chocolate. Impressively fresh, and just 200 cases were produced—only the third vintage from Morisoli Vineyard. The contiguous 21.44-hectare site in Rutherford has been farmed by the Morisoli family since 1902. Spearheaded by Chris Morisoli (fifth generation) and his dad, Gary (fourth-gen), they hired winemaker Joel Aiken who served as Beaulieu Vineyard winemaker for 24 years. Under Aiken's supervision, they are producing very limited production Cabernet off their family estate, which continues to sell grapes to producers such as Amici Cellars, Robert Biale Vineyards, Elyse, Etude, Sequoia Grove, among others. A unique feature of the back label is a set of two numbers that are grid coordinates, representing the vineyard and the Zaray-Panjwaji region in Afghanistan, where Chris Morisoli was stationed when serving in the military.