From the winery at release:
2019 Rivers-Marie Herb Lamb Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley—370 cases, 14.5% alcohol, 85% new oak

This is it for Herb Lamb Vineyard for us for now, the vineyard was lost to fire in 2020. We did harvest fruit from the site last year but the smoke taint was too much to consider bottling it. So, 2019 is it. It’s all a huge tragedy especially for Jennifer Lamb and her family who have put so much energy and passion into growing some of the best fruit in the Napa Valley. As I was writing this though, Jennifer reached out to say Herb Lamb Vineyard was replanted on Bastille Day 2021, amazing news after a tough year. This wine represents the second year of what was supposed to be a 10 year lease of the vineyard. To put a positive spin on things, the two wines that have come out of this lease are two of the best wines I’ve ever made. There’s nothing else in Napa that tastes like Herb Lamb where the resulting wines feel like they have a foot in two different eras. The idea of varietal greenness or herbaceousness is such a frowned upon trait in modern Cabernets. There’s no getting around that here and it makes for such a compelling experience combining the best of Napa’s past with all the current refinement in farming and winemaking. The varietal character is more of a top note of tobacco, olive, pencil shavings and menthol which become more pronounced as the wine opens in the glass. The fruit profile is blue and black fruits complemented with spring flowers, white chocolate and sandalwood. I’d love to see this one day pop up in the portfolio again but barring that, this is a great way to go out.

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