Napa Daytrip, Dec 2025: MacDonald, Futo, Oakville Wine Merchant

Went for a pre-Christmas daytrip to Napa with my wife. One of the beauties of living in San Francisco is the ability to Uber up to Napa for a bit of wine tasting, then come back home!

Given this was a weekday, wanted to keep it somewhat lighter and only do two wineries.

We started the day off at MacDonald, then had a quick lunch break (and impromptu wine tasting) at Oakville Grocery, then closed the day out at Futo.

Was lucky enough to have the opportunity to start off at MacDonald and enjoy some wine with Alex, while learning about the history of the place. These wines are absolutely incredible and I loved hearing the story of how MacDonald came to be. Plus, Alex is a delight to spend time with!

• 2023 MacDonald Cabernet Sauvignon 93 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  (12/17/2025)

  Enjoyed with Alex in Oakville.
  
  This is an incredible bottle of wine that is somehow approachable at such a young age.
  
  This was double decanted for six hours, then got a bonus hour in the decanter.
  
  This is simultaneously a bold and subtle wine.
  
  Lots of dark fruit, brambly blackberry, blueberry, slight leather, elaichi, cloves.
  
  Tannins were pretty velvety, acidity is well-balanced.
  
  I look forward to seeing the evolution of this wine over the coming decades.
  
  93++ points.

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We had a bit of time before going to Futo, so decided to grab some food at Oakville Grocery, especially given the convenient location.

Ordered a pizza, but then wandered into Oakville Wine Merchant next door, which has a huge selection of wines from a machine that you can try, ranging from affordable daily drinkers to Harlan Estate.

Didn't take detailed notes, so I'm relying on my memory here, tried a few other wines, but these were the big ones that stood out to me.

• 2021 BOND St. Eden 92 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  (1/2/2026)

  Enjoyed a splash at Oakville Grocery.
  
  Very young, very tight, but also provides a glimpse of what's to come.
  
  I've had Promontory and Harlan Estate, but this is my first experience with BOND.
  
  Lots of dark fruit, slight perfume on the nose.
  
  92+ points.

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• 2021 Lail Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon J. Daniel Cuvée 91 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  (1/2/2026)

  Enjoyed a splash at Oakville Grocery.
  
  Very young, as expected, but already showcasing some dark blackberry, chocolate, and clove notes.
  
  Clearly lots of upside here, but a treat to try.
  
  91 points.

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• 2021 Hundred Acre Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Morgan's Way 93 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  (1/2/2026)

  Enjoyed a splash at Oakville Grocery.
  
  Unsurprisingly young, but with a lot of swirling, started to open up nicely.
  
  Dark blue and red fruits with slight spice and graphite.
  
  Already lovely, but definitely want to try this in a decade.
  
  93+ points.

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• 2023 Realm Cellars The Tempest 92 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  (1/2/2026)

  Enjoyed a splash at Oakville Grocery.
  
  Still very young, but not harsh, which surprised me.
  
  Merlot-based.
  
  Dark fruit, somewhat velvety tannins.
  
  92 points.

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My first experience with Futo was at the James Suckling Festival in NYC in 2025. Since then, I've always wanted to get a tasting at Futo and the stars aligned this time!

It's an absolutely beautiful property with gorgeous views. We also got lucky with the sun coming out and the rain clearing up.

The wines are fantastic and I enjoyed the intimate experience.

My only qualm here was while our host was pleasant enough, the hospitality was missing that extra notch that I've come to enjoy at tastings of this caliber (and price).

• 2022 Futo Seta Red 91 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  (1/2/2026)

  Tasted at the winery.
  
  All wines had been opened and decanted ahead of time.
  
  Deep red color.
  
  Notes of blueberry, milk chocolate, cinnamon, nutmeg, and slight bubblegum.
  
  Drinking nicely now, likely has a lot more upside from here.
  
  91 points.

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• 2019 Futo OV/SL 91 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  (1/2/2026)

  Tasted at the winery.
  
  All wines had been opened and decanted ahead of time.
  
  Somewhat juicer than I'd expect.
  
  Grapefruit, pomegranate, red cherry.
  
  Somewhat grassy with eucalyptus notes as well.
  
  Grippy tannins.
  
  Slight cinnamon husk on the palate.
  
  Still very young, but showing some floral notes after some time.
  
  91 points.

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• 2018 Futo Oakville 93 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  (1/2/2026)

  Tasted at the winery.
  
  All wines had been opened and decanted ahead of time.
  
  Lots of tannins, still very young.
  
  Dark cherry, dark plum, slight graphite (which I didn't get in the other wines).
  
  Young peppercorn, blackberry, slight floral notes, and elaichi (cardamom).
  
  This is a lovely wine and I look forward to trying a full bottle at some point.
  
  93 points.

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Another great day of wine tasting, really blessed to be so close to Napa!

The clear winner from the day was the 2023 MacDonald, but 2018 Futo Oakville and 2021 Hundred Acre weren't super far behind.