2023 Charger Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

When a white-hot Napa winemaker tells us he sourced his Cabernet from way up Soda Canyon Road—next to the iconic Stagecoach Vineyard, no less—we don’t hesitate to hit the road and see for ourselves. 

Normally, we would’ve hopped in whatever car was closest, but for a Weston Eidson wine, that wouldn’t do.

So at lunchtime, we grabbed Rick, the Wine Access logistics chief. Rick’s a gravel-throated former pro poker player who roughly doubles his Wine Access income on shrewd NFL bets every fall. Knowing Rick’s taste for souped-up machinery—and the joy he derives in taking friends on white-knuckle rides through the Valley—we poked his head into our office, asking him if he might give us a ride.

“Where to?” he growled, barely looking up from his tacos.

“Way up Atlas Peak,” we replied. 

“Let’s go,” he said, as he wiped his hands and grabbed his key fob. Five minutes later, we were tearing up Soda Canyon Road. We thought of Harvey Keitel’s line in Pulp Fiction, something like: That’s 30 minutes away. I’ll be there in 10.

A harrowing 11 minutes later, we were looking over a gorgeous plot, just a stone’s throw from Stagecoach Vineyard. Up here, above the fog line, the grapes are treated to long days in the high-altitude sunshine. 

That length was echoed in the vintage. “I’ve been making wine for over a decade and have never experienced such hang time,” Weston Eidson told us, when we debriefed about the vintage over a glass of Cabernet. “We achieved optimal ripeness, with amazing color, phenolic maturity, and acidity.” Aged in 50% new French oak, this is a gorgeous bottle from a Wine Access fave, and it’s a straight-up steal at our price. 

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

• ABV 14.50%
• 1 hour
• Now – 2035
• 96% Cabernet Sauvignon4% Merlot
• Serving temperature – 58°
• Cork