2022 Fortunate Son Cabernet Sauvignon ‘The Warrior’ Napa Valley

JS99 Black currants and black berries, with a transparency that lets beautiful pine needles and sage shine through. Full-bodied with a very fine velvet texture. Extremely long and delicious. Intense finish. Amazing length The owner is Hundred Acre, and it’s coming through clearly. Drink or hold.

DEC98 “This is the first step into Hundred Acre territory,” says Jayson Woodbridge, “an entry point before graduating to the higher prices of the main label.” It’s a profound wine indeed. The Warrior is deep, dense, and penetrating, with mineral freshness and pure, ripe currant fruit of remarkable clarity. Crushed cocoa nibs, explosive elegance, and a brightness of fruit combine with California forest aromatics—like walking through a redwood grove on a rainy day. The palate swells with layers of wet redwood, scorched earth, and sagebrush, underpinned by incredibly fragrant, mineral-laced tannins. Salty crushed stone and cast iron notes meet creamy-textured blackberry and cherry fruit, with cigar box and cedar spice lingering on the long, full-bodied finish. Jayson Woodbridge, founder of Hundred Acre, purchased the historic David Fulton Vineyard on Fulton Lane in St. Helena, which now serves as the home of Fortunate Son. The site includes six hectares of Cabernet Sauvignon vines managed by Jim Barbour. In 2023, Woodbridge appointed his son, Cameron, as cellar master.

WP96 Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2022 The Warrior Cabernet Sauvignon delivers opulent notes of boysenberry preserves, baked plums, tar, and licorice, leading to hints of raspberry coulis and rose oil. The full-bodied palate is dense and muscular with black fruit layers, supported by firm, grainy tannins, finishing long and minerally.