2023 Caravina Cabernet Sauvignon

“It offers beautiful notes of darker currants, ripe plum, leather, savory herbs, and graphite. Medium to full-bodied, it has a round, layered mouthfeel, supple yet present tannins, and a great finish.” – Jeb Dunnuck (Dec. 2025) 94 points

Tasting Notes

This distinguished wine unveils intense aromas of cassis that leap from the glass, elegantly complemented by notes of bitter cocoa, cola, grilled meats, and wild sage, all enveloped by a subtle graham cracker nuance imparted by the French oak barrels used for aging. The 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 and a remarkable addition to any discerning collection.

Ratings

Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate (Oct. 2025) 93 points
“When the second wine from an estate reaches the quality level of Seavey’s 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Caravina, the property clearly had an excellent vintage. Cassis and black cherries are joined by sage and vanilla on the nose, while the medium- to full-bodied palate is concentrated, reasonably supple, velvety and long, picking up hints of cedar, licorice and reprising black cherries. It’s still a good value this year… Drink 2025-2040.”

Jeb Dunnuck (Dec. 2025) 94 points
“The second wine of the estate, created in 1999 and made with the idea of slightly early accessibility, the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Caravina is based on 97% Cabernet Sauvignon with the balance Merlot and Cabernet Franc and aged 20 months in roughly 40-45% new French oak. It offers beautiful notes of darker currants, ripe plum, leather, savory herbs, and graphite. Medium to full-bodied, it has a round, layered mouthfeel, supple yet present tannins, and a great finish. Drink 2025-2040.”

Vineyard Notes

Seavey’s 25th vintage of single-vineyard estate Caravina 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 (40% new) for 20 months before bottling in June 2025.

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