2023 Cabernet Sauvignon

“First made in 1990, the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 20 months in 70% new French oak. This rich, powerful 2023 sports a saturated purple hue and has an ultra-classic nose of crème de cassis, ripe plum, chocolaty herbs, lavender, and perfectly integrated oak. It’s a rich, voluptuous wine from this site that has full-bodied power, ripe, velvety yet big tannins, ample mid-palate depth, and a great finish. Hide for 4-5 years and drink over the following 30 years or more. Drink 2029-2059.” – Jeb Dunnuck (Dec. 2025) 98 points

Tasting Notes

This wine provides intense aromas of cassis complemented by notes of bitter cocoa, ripe plum, and wild sage, all enveloped by a subtle graham cracker nuance imparted by the French oak barrels used for aging. The full-bodied tannins provide a velvety mouthfeel, serving as a refined backbone that showcases the purity and prominence of the fruit. The wine is characterized by its noble structure and sustained finish of cassis and vibrant red fruit. It is a testament to the exceptional cool growing season at Seavey Vineyard.

Ratings

Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate (Oct. 2025) 95 points
“The main bottling from Seavey is the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate, which spent 20 months in approximately two-thirds new French oak. Hints of asphalt, sage and black pepper accent cassis and black cherries in this medium- to full-bodied effort. Rich and concentrated, it’s supple, even creamy, up front, then more velvety textured on the long, softly tannic finish. It should age well for up to two decades.”

Jeb Dunnuck (Dec. 2025) 98 points
“First made in 1990, the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 20 months in 70% new French oak. This rich, powerful 2023 sports a saturated purple hue and has an ultra-classic nose of crème de cassis, ripe plum, chocolaty herbs, lavender, and perfectly integrated oak. It’s a rich, voluptuous wine from this site that has full-bodied power, ripe, velvety yet big tannins, ample mid-palate depth, and a great finish. Hide for 4-5 years and drink over the following 30 years or more. Drink 2029-2059.”

Vineyard Notes

Seavey’s 33rd vintage of single-vineyard estate Cabernet Sauvignon comes entirely from grapes grown on the steep hillside blocks of our estate, which we have been farming for over forty years. The 2023 growing season was long and cool with ample moisture. These were nearly ideal growing conditions for what will likely prove to be a legendary vintage.

Production Notes

Following classic Bordeaux methods, we separately harvest and vinify each vineyard block. In the cool of the night in October 2023, these grapes were harvested by-hand and then promptly de-stemmed, rigorously sorted, and gently transferred into fermentation tanks to carefully manage the tannins and resulting wine texture. After fermentation, the grapes were drained off the skins. The wine was then aged in French oak barrels (70% new) for 20 months before bottling in June 2025.

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100% ESTATE GROWN, PRODUCED & BOTTLED, NAPA VALLEY AVA