The Cab-of-the-Month for May is the 2014 Sixteen Appellations by Italics Wine Makers in Coombsville, Napa Valley, California. While usually my goal is to introduce regions that members may not be familiar with as fantastic for Cabernet Sauvignon, this time around, I chose to share one of our personal favorites. In April, we visited Napa Valley, as we try to do once a year. When we travel to wine regions, we typically meet small producers and work to bring on board wines that are not represented elsewhere in Texas (be sure to ask about axr Chardonnay the next time you’re in!). Last year, on this same trip, we focused on wineries owned by Texans, and Texans who are making wine in Napa. It was at that time we met Taylor Martin, the son and partner at Italics. We had a fantastic afternoon with Taylor, as we explored their caves and learned their story. It didn’t hurt that their small production wines were outstanding, and we joined their wine club.
Fast forward to 2019, and now we own Perspective Cellars and our trip to the valley wasn’t just for pleasure, but to also find wines for the shop. While we already are very familiar with Italics, we visited the estate to explore what they are doing these days, and to solidify a relationship with them. So we brought back the Sixteen Appellations wine to share with you, from the 2014 vintage. This wine was made by Steve Reynolds, who actually started the Appellations project at his own winery back in 2004, when there were only 13 AVAs in the valley. The concept is to source the best Cabernet Sauvignon available in each of the existing AVAs and blend for a true reflection of Napa Valley in a bottle. Each time a new AVA is added in the valley, the name shifts to reflect all of the appellations. Consistently, this is one of our favorite sipping Cabs, and one we often reach for when my husband grills us steaks.
Mike Martin and his family owned a prosperous citrus company in Texas and decided to sell and pursue farming grapes instead of oranges. As a wine club member, Mike purchased the Appellations project from Steve Reynolds before even finding a winery site or vineyard for his own project. Once the location was scouted, Steve helped with getting the new Italics winery up and going and has served as their wine maker since. Just this year, he handed the reigns to Marbue Marke, who plans to continue the wines within the same profile that we have come to know and love.
Another reason we wanted to introduce you to Italics is to put a little bug in your ear about a future small group trip to Napa Valley, which includes staying on property in the estate home, with five suites and outstanding views of the vineyards. More details will come as the dates are ironed out, and we hope you’ll consider joining us for a relaxing long weekend of wine tasting in the fall. In the meantime, you can learn more about Italics and their wines at www.ItalicsWineGrowers.com or by watching the documentary Decanted which features Mike, Steve and the beginnings of Italics.