Frog's Leap Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

This is Napa Cabernet in a more classical, old-school mould: structured, savoury and built more around detail than sheer weight. The nose opens with cassis, black cherry and plum, but quickly broadens into something more complex — dried sage, graphite, cedar, cocoa powder and that unmistakable dusty, earthy note that Rutherford does so well. On the palate it’s firm but composed, with dark fruit at its core, fine-grained tannins and enough natural acidity to keep everything lifted. There’s depth and power here, but it’s the restraint that stands out most, the wine finishing long, savoury and quietly persistent rather than opulent. Frog’s Leap’s own notes describe a spectrum from black fruit through dried herbs, earth, olive, mocha, tobacco and cedar, which feels exactly right for the style.

Frog’s Leap has long been one of Napa’s most distinctive voices, farming organically and dry-farming its Rutherford Bench vineyards to produce Cabernets that favour balance and site expression over excess ripeness. Cabernet Franc plays a key supporting role in the blend, adding aromatic lift and shape to the wine’s natural structure. The result is a Cabernet that feels unmistakably Californian, but with a more restrained, age-worthy profile than many of its neighbours — a wine with real pedigree, and one that rewards both food and patience.