2012 Christopher Tynan Wines St. Helena Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Christopher Tynan Wines was founded in 2012 by Christopher Tynan, one of Napa’s rising stars. Tynan has made wine for Colgin Cellars, Chateau Boswell and trained early on with Helen Turley and Jon Wetlaufer at Blankiet Estate. He is now chief winemaker at Lede Family Wines. Tynan is also making his own very limited production Cabernet Sauvignon from grapes sourced in Napa Valley, and, in only his second vintage, he earned 100 pts from Robert M. Parker Jr. Parker wrote this: “Even for someone who has been doing this for thirty-eight years, there are times when you taste something that sort of breaks through all preconceived notions and reference points. I knew Christopher Tynan as a winemaker for Cliff Lede, but this is his wine, and it is outrageously spectacular and incredibly singular and special. The wine is extraordinary.” Tynan’s wines are available only through his mailing list.

St. Helena AVA is at the northern end of Napa Valley just north of Rutherford and south of Calistoga. It is a relatively warm climate thanks to the Mayacamas Mountains on its western edge, which protect it from Pacific Ocean fog. Out of the 9,000 acres in the appellation, some 1,500 are under vine. The principal grapes grown in St. Helena are the Bordeaux grapes of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. St. Helena is considered prime wine producing territory, and it was one of the first important wine producing regions in northern California. The legendary Charles Krug founded his winery just north of the town of St. Helena in 1873, and today the appellation is home to many prestigious producers, including Abreu, Grace Family and Spottswoode.

One of the most widely grown grape varieties, it can be found in nearly every wine growing region. A cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a hardy vine that produces a full-bodied wine with high tannins and great aging potential.