Italics 16 Appellations Napa cab Blend

Italics Winegrowers' Sixteen Appellations is one of the breakout stars of recent memory—a totally unique Napa wine that’s captured the hearts and palates of Wine Access members. To our knowledge—and please let us know if we’re mistaken—there is no other Cabernet-based wine that includes grapes from all16 American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) in Napa Valley, at this quality level. 

Italics takes the cuvée concept to almost unbelievable heights, but when a Winemaker of the Year like Marbue Marke is in charge, impossibilities become possible. Add in the 2018 vintage, which was a special year in Napa—Wine Spectator doesn’t think there’s ever been a better one—and you get a sensation-in-the-making.

The vineyard sources are among the absolute best from each AVA: top-scoring vineyards like Robert Keenan on Spring Mountain, Blackbird in Oak Knoll, Constant on Diamond Mountain, and Annapurna in the Stags Leap District. The rest we can’t disclose because the grapes that go to Italics come from blue-chip sites that “never sell their fruit,”according to Marke, who added: “They love our project though, and our relationships with these growers run deep.”

The San Francisco-based wine and spirits journal Bonfort’s named Marke its 2019 U.S. Winemaker of the Year, which just underscored what we’ve known for close to a decade, since his days at Caldwell Vineyards: He’s the real deal. 

This blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot shows off all that skill in a bold, powerful package. From the vineyard sourcing to the vintage to the all-star winemaker, there are very few wines in the class of Italics' 2016 Sixteen Appellations—especially at our price.