2019 Titus Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Phil Titus’s legacy is certainly secure.

The Chappellet winemaker has put in 32 years at the iconic winery. He’s got a perfect 100-point score under his belt and he’s a perennial Wine Access favorite—and his 2019 Titus Cabernet will only strengthen his status.

From a year in which Antonio Galloni said “the best [wines] are positively thrilling,” this is a wine to put in the pipe of any misguided soul who thinks Napa Valley Cabernet greatness has to cost a mint. Grown primarily in the ample sunlight and diverse soils of Titus Ranch at the base of Howell Mountain, it’s the centerpiece of Titus’s lineup, and it’s up there with some of his most powerful and exquisitely focused Cabs.

In 2019, Titus and his crew—including his PhD. vineyard-manager brother Eric and winemaker Stephan Cruzan—hit it out of the park again. The beautiful growing season seemed to last forever, allowing the team to let the Cabernet hang, developing perfect ripeness and deep flavor.

A regimen of 20 months in 60% new French and Hungarian oak gave this Cabernet stunning polish and sophistication. The wine is awash in aromas of black currant, blackberry, dark red plum, and black cherry. The palate is rich and supple, with labyrinthine corridors of cinnamon, allspice, new leather, and dark chocolate. It’s showing beautiful concentration and density in its youth, and has the potential to age for more than a decade. 

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

• ABV 14.50%
• 1 hour
• Now – 2035
• % Cabernet Sauvignon
• Serving temperature – 62°
• Cork