2019 Hundred Acre Fortunate Son The Diplomat Red Wine Napa Valley

Hundred Acre is one of those estates, where if you are in the know then you know. The quality of the wines made here is almost impossible to describe without using words like ethereal, sublime, and perfection. These highly coveted bottles regularly flirt with perfection. In fact, the ARK bottling has only ever scored outside of the 90s five times in its history, and those all received 100 points. There is only so much praise one place can receive, Hundred Acre no longer pursues critical ratings.

Jayson Woodbridge is the genius behind Hundred Acre since its inception in 1998. Imagine this: In only his second attempt, his wines earned a coveted spot on the Wine Spectator Top 100 list, and between 2002 and 2015, they notched up over twenty perfect 100-point scores from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.

Now, fast forward to the resurrection of his Fortunate Son brand. After years of relentless searching for the perfect vineyard plots, Jayson brings us "The Dreamer," "The Diplomat," and "The Warrior." These wines hail from charming, family-owned vineyards, and they're crafted with the utmost care in Hundred Acre's state-of-the-art underground winery.

2019 was a fabulous year for Napa Valley. Wine Spectator awarded this year a 97-point score, and Vinous Media gave it 96 points saying that "The 2019 Napa Valley Cabernets have turned out beautifully. 2019 is a very high-quality vintage of Cabernets that will be easy to drink and enjoy with minimal cellaring. The extra kick of late heat softened the tannins, making the wines a pleasure to taste and drink." 

Aging: 24-30 months in the finest French oak barrique. 

Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petite Sirah. 
See Critical Reviews for detailed tasting notes.

Elegant, ephemeral, and expansive.Showing exceptional polish in the glass and revealing mounds of juicy, crunchy red cherry fruit and a wash of compellingly sweet and savoury baking spices. An open-knit structure affords juicy, crunchy acidity to lift the deliciously pure red fruit. A blend of Cabernet with Merlot and Petite Sirah, the Merlot lends an almost claret-like quality to this sophisticated and seamless blend, which builds to an elegant medium-bodied finish of crushed red flowers and river stones. Jayson Woodbridge, the founder of Hundred Acre, purchased the David Fulton Vineyard in St. Helena on Fulton Lane, and a winery on site is now the home of Fortunate Son and 6ha of Cabernet Sauvignon vines managed by Jim Barbour. Woodbridge appointed his son Cameron as cellar master in 2023. Woodbridge acquired a second estate vineyard for the Fortunate Son label in 2022 called Larkmead Vineyards. The 7.5ha ranch has been renamed True Romance and will serve as the site of a future Fortunate Son winery and estate slated to open in 2027. ~97 Decanter

A full and layered red with lots of plums and chocolate with dark chocolate and crushed stones. Full and layered. From old dry-farmed, head-pruned merlot and cabernet sauvignon vines, all Calistoga. From the owner of Napa’s Hundred Acre winery. Drink or hold. ~95 James Suckling

The Merlot-dominated 2019 The Diplomat comes from a handful of sites and would give a great Pomerol a run for its money with its darker red and black fruits, smoky herbs, and earthy goodness on the nose. These carry to a full-bodied, rounded, opulent 2019 with sweet, building tannins and a great finish. Give it a few years. ~94 Jeb Dunnuck

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