St. Helena Cabernet Sauvignon Reviews

Ripe and focused, with cassis, plum sauce and melted red licorice notes layered seamlessly, ending with an uptick in toast, savory and warm earth notes through the finish. Best from 2021 through 2030. 228 cases made. — JM

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena is one of the most complete wines in this range. Bold and exuberant, the St. Helena Cabernet is impeccable. Bright floral notes and sweet red berry fruit give this juicy, mid-weight Cabernet tons of appeal. This silky, racy Cabernet has so much going on. It's also a terrific example of the appellation.

-- Antonio Galloni

The deep garnet-purple colored 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon St Helena District Collection (aged 20 months in 70% new French oak) opens with baked cherries, warm plums and crème de cassis with hints of dusty soil, iron ore, mossy bark and tobacco. Big, concentrated and full, the palate is packed with rich fruit and framed by firm, grainy tannins, finishing long and earthy. 477 cases produced.

Clean, pure and aromatically complex, with tiers of dark berry, cherry, plum and spice flavors. Seamless for its age, yet finishes with dusty, fine-grained tannins. Best from 2020 through 2030. 

Raymond's 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena emerges from a vineyard on the southern edge of town, where the wines tend to be radiant and flashy. That is exactly what comes through here. Super-ripe dark cherry, plum, mocha, spice and new leather all flesh out in this voluptuous, racy Cabernet Sauvignon. This is one of the better wines in the range. Silky tannins add to the wine's considerable appeal. The 2015 finished with enough substance to suggest it will drink well for many years to come.

A wine I was able to taste twice, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon District Collection St. Helena saw an extended maceration and roughly 20 months in 70% new French oak. It offers classic Cabernet red and black fruits, cedar wood, graphite, and tobacco, and is medium to full-bodied, concentrated, and has plenty of structure. It’s approachable today but should be better in 2-3 years and keep for 10-15.

Plum fruit, sweet spices, eucalyptus, vanilla and blueberry cake show on the nose. Full-bodied with grainy tannins, a fine line of acidity and a chewy finish. Drink in 2019.

This wine is notable for its freshness of fruit, its black currant flavors awash in tannins, bringing spicy tobacco notes and stony coolness to the vibrant fruit. It’s approachable and juicy, a wine to pour with grilled lamb. 

The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon St Helena District Collection opens with a deep garnet-purple color and a savory/meaty nose of smoked bacon, earth, crème de cassis and incense with suggestions of cinnamon stick, cloves and dried flowers. The full-bodied mouth is velvety and well balanced with plenty of expressive, subtle flavor layers and a long, earthy finish.

From the warm appellation, this wine offers moderate structure and undeniable ripeness—a deep, brooding expression of dark chocolate, plum and leather. 

Another impressive 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from this grouping is the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon District Collection St. Helena, which was aged 19 months in 50% new French casks and bottled unfined and unfiltered. Where the Oakville is a tiny cuvée of only 186 cases, this one represents 467. Terrific blackcurrant and black cherry fruit soar from the glass with loamy soil undertones. The wine has more flesh, fat and succulence, a full-bodied mouthfeel and an easygoing and sexy texture and finish. It is a classic 2014 and best drunk over the next 15+ years.

Lots of smoke, charcoal, blackberry and licorice notes saturate the palate, with a broad, expansive mix of dense, extracted flavors, firm, fine-grained tannins and a long, full finish that keeps this lively and alluring. —J.L.

Sweetened tannins highlight a depth of chocolate and blackberry in this 100% varietal wine made in small amounts. Soft and juicy, it crafts a balance of richness and density around elegant spicy clove and cinnamon. —V.B.

Made entirely from Clone 4, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena District Collection displays more profound depth than the 2012 along with sweet blackberry and blueberry fruit, licorice, graphite and spicy oak notes. Consume this opulent, full-bodied, impressive 2013 over the next 10-15 years

The alcohol is hefty but balanced, giving the wine a heat it wears well. The tannins are big and thick, while the fruit is all about ripe black cherries and chocolate. It hits the sweet spot, but finishes dry.

The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena District Collection possesses a dark ruby/purple color as well as sweet black currant and kirsch-like fruit, medium body, very good concentration, spice and wood notes and moderate tannin. A big improvement over pre-Boisset vintages, this attractive 2010 can be drunk now and over the next decade.

This is firm and well-structured with a tight core of cear-laced dried currant, black licorice, road tar and mocha. Ends with gripping tannins. - JL

An ambitious Cabernet that’s part of Raymond’s program of highlighting individual appellations within Napa Valley. This wine is delicious, exhibiting rich, deep flavors of black currants with tasteful accents of oak. While it’s fine to drink now, the tannins and long finish suggest up to eight years in the cellar will be beneficial.