2017 Sling & Spear Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

The 2017 Sling & Spear Cabernet Sauvignon doesn’t come from good vineyards, or even great ones.

It comes from LEGENDARY ones.

The label’s parent estate doesn’t work with anything less. Crafted by a Napa Valley veteran with a slew of top-flight estates on his résumé, Sling & Spear Cab hails from vineyards in Oakville, Yountville, and St. Helena—sites whose grapes yield wines that rarely go for under three digits.

It might not carry the vineyard names on the label, but Sling & Spear’s lush fruit and luxurious texture speak for themselves. A swirl releases complex aromas of cassis and Damson plum wrapped in fresh lilac, along with cocoa and anise. The wine lands on the palate with all the power and agility of an Olympic pole vaulter, carrying dark fruit and spice on rich tannins polished by a lavish 20-month rest in 100% French oak.

And the opulence? That comes from three Cabernet Sauvignon clones that compose some of the Valley’s best—and priciest—bottles: clones 337, 4, and 6.

The masterminds behind Sling & Spear have earned a slew of critical praise, including placement on Wine & Spirits’ Best US Cabernets and Blends list. But after years of selling high-priced collector’s bottles, this Cab showcases their prestigious vineyard sources—without the prohibitive cost.

Hence the name. The wine is a ruby-hued David (Sling), standing for bottle prices that don’t zoom into the stratosphere. His foes: a host of costly Goliaths (Spear)—high-caliber wines, to be sure, but ones that can’t outmatch Sling & Spear’s incredible quality, power, and seductiveness.

• Fruit Intensity
• Oak Intensity
• Body
• Acidity
• Tannin

• ABV 14.50%
• 1 hour
• Now – 2028
• % Cabernet Sauvignon
• Serving temperature – 60°
• Cork