ATLAS PEAK NAPA VALLEY CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2022

Barrel aging — vessel choice, duration, and oak source — is where Atlas Peak's high-elevation Cabernet either holds together or falls apart, and the winery leans on it to frame fruit grown at 1,000-plus feet in the Vaca Mountains above Napa's fog line. That altitude delays budbreak and pushes harvest weeks behind valley-floor vineyards, concentrating the fruit while preserving acidity. In the glass, ripe blackberry and black currant lead, with fennel and a thread of earth underneath, moderate tannins, and a finish that benefits from time in the bottle.