Lerner Project: Superb Napa Cabernets at House of Fleming
Atlanta, GA
Tasted Saturday, April 5, 2025 by HeavyPourWine with 141 views
Introduction
When my friend Bob Childs of House of Fleming invited me to a special tasting with Lerner Project, I jumped at the opportunity. Having tasted their exceptional wines twice before - once in Atlanta a few years ago and later at the Armstrong Ranch estate - this intimate gathering promised the chance to not only sample their current releases but also spend quality time with founders Stu and Karen Lerner, whom I already knew to be super nice folks making wonderful wine. The House of Fleming, known for creating the finest alligator belts in the country, provided a unique setting for this wine experience. This marked Stu's third or fourth visit to Bob's shop, creating a relaxed atmosphere where wine and craftsmanship could be appreciated together. The confluence of fine leather goods and exceptional Napa wines created a distinctive environment that immediately set this tasting apart from typical wine events. With nine impressive wines spanning multiple vineyards and vintages lined up, including their brand-new KA-SHER label, I prepared myself for what promised to be an educational journey through some of Napa's most prized vineyard sites. Stay tuned for a complete blog post coming soon where I'll provide more details including my interviews with Stu, Bob, and Tim Harrington of "The Misfits of Georgia."
Flight 1 (9 Notes)
Closing
After experiencing nine impressive wines, I came away with an even deeper appreciation for what Stu and Karen Lerner are building at Lerner Project. The highlights were definitely getting to know Stu and Karen better and discovering the private label "Le Inadaptes" wine that I hadn't previously heard of. Their winemaking philosophy centers on big, approachable wines that are meals in themselves with impressively long finishes. The 2019 Lerner Project Cabernet Sauvignon emerged as my clear favorite of the day at 95 points. True to their goal of making the best wine in the world, they're producing bottles that demonstrate how Napa Valley can create wines that compete with the world's finest.
2020 Vintedge Cabernet Sauvignon KA·SHER 92 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Tasted at the Lerner Project wine tasting at House of Fleming in Atlanta. PNP, served cool. Being only the fifth Napa Cabernet I've had from the challenging fire year of 2020, I was immediately impressed with what this wine accomplished. Dark fruit dominates the nose with impressive concentration. On the palate, medium-high tannins are surprisingly well-integrated for such a young wine from a difficult vintage. The high acidity provides excellent balance to the super ripe fruit characteristics, with a distinctive bite on the finish that gives the wine energy. While not quite reaching the heights of MacDonald (still the best 2020 Napa Cabernet I've tried), this is an excellent wine that defies the difficulties of its vintage year.
Brad - heavypourwine.com
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2021 Lerner Project Sugarloaf Ranch 94 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Tasted at the Lerner Project wine tasting at House of Fleming in Atlanta. PNP, served cool. The herbaceous nose immediately signals the dominant Cabernet Franc in this 70% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot blend. Despite its youth, this wine is drinking beautifully now with minimal air. Dark red fruit dominates the palate with lush raspberry notes creating a big, mouth-filling presence. The most impressive aspect is how it captures Cabernet Franc's aromatic complexity without the sometimes aggressive herbal qualities that can dominate lesser examples. The integration of Merlot provides roundness and accessibility that makes this immediately appealing while promising significant aging potential.
Brad - heavypourwine.com
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2016 Lerner Project Cabernet Sauvignon 91 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
Tasted at the Lerner Project wine tasting at House of Fleming in Atlanta. PNP, served cool. This 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot blend represents Lerner Project's first vintage. This wine shows higher tannin than the first two offerings, with a pronounced blackberry nose that carries through to the dark fruit palate. While delicious, it would benefit significantly from food pairing to balance its structure. Compared to their more recent vintages, this inaugural effort shows how the Lerner Project style has evolved while maintaining their commitment to bold, expressive wines that showcase Napa's exceptional terroir.
Brad - heavypourwine.com
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2019 Lerner Project Cabernet Sauvignon 95 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
Tasted at the Lerner Project wine tasting at House of Fleming in Atlanta. PNP, served cool. Super expressive from the moment it's poured, with dark fruit and spice leaping from the glass. The palate shows remarkable complexity with chocolate and dark cherry notes supported by medium tannins that provide structure without overwhelming the fruit. What sets this apart is its perfect balance - mouthfilling and rich yet never heavy or one-dimensional. This was undoubtedly my favorite wine of the tasting, compelling enough that I purchased several bottles for my cellar.
Jeb Dunnuck awarded this wine 96 points, noting its iron and bloody nuances alongside blue fruits, describing it as a nicely balanced, ripe fruit bomb that maintains freshness and purity. My experience aligned perfectly with his assessment - this is indeed a sexy mouthful of great Cabernet with significant aging potential.
Brad - heavypourwine.com
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2021 Lerner Project Cabernet Sauvignon Tench Vineyard 93 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Tasted at the Lerner Project wine tasting at House of Fleming in Atlanta. PNP, served cool. This 100% Cabernet comes from the Tench vineyard which backs up to Screaming Eagle on the Silverado Trail, with just 6-7 barrels produced. Dark fruit dominates the nose, leading to a palate with pronounced dark cherry notes supported by medium-high tannins. The alcohol is well-integrated, and the finish is impressively long but with a slightly tart edge that adds complexity. This wine demonstrates how single-vineyard expressions can capture the specific characteristics of their sites while maintaining the Lerner Project house style.
Wine Advocate critic J. Czerwinski awarded this wine 97 points, describing bold aromas of black cherries, plums and dark chocolate in a full-bodied, expansive and supple wine that represents the valley floor at its hedonistic best. While I scored it lower at 93 points, I certainly appreciated the hedonistic qualities he described.
Brad - heavypourwine.com
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2021 Lerner Project Cabernet Sauvignon Armstrong Vineyard 93 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Tasted at the Lerner Project wine tasting at House of Fleming in Atlanta. PNP, served cool. From their estate vineyard on Diamond Mountain at 1400 feet elevation, planted in 1983 and representing some of the oldest mountaintop Cabernet in Napa Valley. The nose immediately distinguishes itself with pronounced herbal aromatics that signal its mountain heritage. Medium-high tannins provide substantial structure, suggesting this wine would benefit significantly from food pairing or additional decanting at this stage of its development. While perhaps not showing its full potential today, the pedigree of the vineyard and the quality of the winemaking suggest this will evolve beautifully with time in the cellar.
International Wine Report critic J. D'Angelo awarded this wine a perfect 100 points, describing beautifully nuanced aromas and a gorgeous full-bodied texture with impeccable structure and remarkable depth. While I found the wine more closed and tannic at this stage, his notes suggest the extraordinary potential that will reveal itself with patience.
Brad - heavypourwine.com
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2019 Lerner Project Cabernet Sauvignon Houyi Vineyard 93 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Tasted at the Lerner Project wine tasting at House of Fleming in Atlanta. PNP, served cool. One of the last vintages from this vineyard for Lerner Project because Realm purchased the vineyard. This 100% Cabernet comes from block 20 which used to be Fairchild's block. The herbaceous nose immediately signals its mountain origins, while the palate reveals concentrated dark fruit flavors framed by high tannins. The elevation and exposure of Pritchard Hill come through clearly in the wine's structure and concentration, providing a fascinating contrast to their valley floor offerings. The limited future availability of this vineyard designation makes this bottle particularly special.
Jeb Dunnuck scored this wine 97 points, describing iron and savory, earthy minerality alongside ample red, blue, and black fruits. He praised its great mid-palate, ripe, perfectly polished tannins, and big finish. My experience aligned with his assessment of the wine's savory, mineral qualities, though I found the tannins less perfectly polished at this young stage.
Brad - heavypourwine.com
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2020 Lerner Project Cabernet Sauvignon Project 18 92 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Tasted at the Lerner Project wine tasting at House of Fleming in Atlanta. PNP, served cool. This is their "steakhouse wine" created specifically for restaurant distribution. Even in the challenging 2020 vintage, they've managed to craft a wine with remarkable approachability and balance. Unlike most of their portfolio that requires decanting or aging to show its full potential, this wine features resolved tannins and a more straightforward, accessible profile. While less complex than their single-vineyard offerings, it delivers impressive balance and drinkability that would indeed make it perfect in a restaurant setting where immediate enjoyment is the priority.
Brad - heavypourwine.com
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2021 Lerner Project Le Inadaptes 93 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Tasted at the Lerner Project wine tasting at House of Fleming in Atlanta. One of the highlights of the tasting was discovering this wine and meeting Tim Harrington, the "Social Director" of "The Misfits out of Georgia." This private label was created for a group of golf enthusiasts, with the label cleverly incorporating names of their favorite golf courses in continuous lettering and "Le Inadaptes" (French for "misfits") as the watermark. Even more amusingly, connecting all the red letters on the front label spells out "soufflez-moi" (French for "blow me"), a playful phrase that reflects the group's irreverent spirit.
The wine itself shows medium tannins with beautiful dark red fruit notes on both the nose and palate. While created as a custom blend for this group, it maintains the high quality and distinctive character that defines all Lerner Project wines.
Brad - heavypourwine.com
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