2021 Maybach Vocabulum, 375ml

Maybach Family Vineyards in Oakville is named after the family’s early 20th century patriarch, Wilhelm Maybach, a German inventor who, with his business partner Gottleib Daimler, designed and built the first Mercedes automobiles. Maybach was inducted into Detroit’s Automotive Hall of Fame in 1996. Now some of his descendants are making a single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from a hillside vineyard above the Silverado Trail. Called Materium, the 100% Cab has earned praise from Robert M. Parker Jr., among others, who calls it “serious wine.” Fewer than 500 cases are produced annually. Thomas Brown is winemaker at Maybach. The estate also makes Sonoma Coast Chardonnay with a Burgundian style, and Pinot Noir.

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.