VINTAGE | 2021 |
Top 3 barrels of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Figgins Estate Vineyard: Mystifies Me and Cash & Tobacco
22 months in 100% new French Oak
Will blossom with at least 5 years of age and will only get better over the next 20-25 years
73 Cases
September 2025
Winemaker’s Notes
Deep and densely hued, this Cabernet opens with a refined nose of blueberries, red currants, cassis, and rose petals. The palate is plush and mouth-filling, layered with dark bramble fruits, dried herbs, and bittersweet chocolate. A luxurious sense of glycerin adds weight, yet the wine remains poised, striking a beautiful balance of levity and power. Each sip finishes long and sweet, lifted by mouth-cleansing acidity. Built to age, but already showing remarkable elegance and depth.
Vintage Notes
If I had to name the 2022 growing season, I would give it the simple moniker, “The Miracle Vintage.” First, an impossibly late spring and “Juneuary” had us sweating bullets going into October. It was one of the coolest vintages of my career, especially at the high-elevation Figgins Estate vineyard. Then the record-setting warm October quite literally saved the vintage for us. These wines are simply stunning and are not to be missed!
| PRINT |
TECHNICAL DETAILS
The Caves
This selection of our finest three barrels of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon was aged in French oak for two years in the caves. Hewn from solid 15-million-year-old basalt which underlies our estate vineyard, the caves maintain a year-round 55-58˚F temperature and ideal 65% humidity – perfect for aging premium wines.
Vintage Block Details
Combination of two blocks: Mystifies Me and Cash & Tobacco -Mystifies Me block of Cabernet Sauvignon—This block is named for love, the greatest mystery in my life. Trained to a lyre system, the clonal selection in this block yields tiny berries that are incredibly floral-driven in their aromatics. The trellis system is worth the extra work of constant hand grooming passes. The name of this block was inspired by the song “Mystifies Me” by Son Volt.
Cash & Tobacco block of Cabernet Sauvignon—I LOVE tobacco aromatics in my Cabernet Sauvignon, and it is often present in the wine from this block. Along with Sunrise and Mystifies Me, the trellising on this block is a lyre system. This allows for high plant density, yet low shoot density with its double cordon, allowing excellent light and air flow to each cluster. The name of this block was inspired by the song “Cash & Tobacco” by Nathan Hamilton and No Deal.
Critical Acclaim
100- Owen Bargreen
This is a wonderfully concentrated, firm and polished red. Complex aromas of sandalwood, graphite, blackcurrants, blackberries, crushed walnuts and peach pits are all layered seamlessly. It’s full-bodied, firm and refined. Still tight, but already so enjoyable. 100% cabernet sauvignon, a selection of three barrels. Try from 2029.
98 - Vinous
The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon The Caves is darkly alluring, mixing an array of autumnal spices with crushed violet candies, dried black cherries and nuances of mint. It sweeps across the palate with textures of pure silk, seamless and polished in feel, as masses of ripe red berry fruits saturate, adding tension toward the close. The 2022 lingers for well over a minute, tannic yet fresh, leaving hints of cedar and a pleasantly bitter tinge of dark chocolate. The Caves is a selection of three barrels meant to best represent the terroir of the Figgins estate.
97- James Suckling
The 2022 ‘Caves’ is a new wine made by winemaker Chris Figgins that utilizes a mere three barrels from two blocks at his estate vineyard. Inky and dark in the glass, the wine was stored for 22 months in all new French oak before bottling. Scorched earth and cuban cigar mark the nose alongside suggestions of Black Forest cake. The palate is lush and inviting with a sinfully good, pillowy texture, as this weightless beauty glides throughout the drinking experience. This just keeps building and building with each texturally opulent sip, offering a soaring combination of decadence, tension and flavor complexity. A world-class wine that is built to age, this is just a stunning accomplishment in what was a somewhat difficult vintage for Bordeaux varietals. Tasted twice with consistent notes. Drink 2028-2054
