Abreu Cappella Proprietary Red 2019.

Cappella is one of the oldest vineyard sites in St. Helena. Six acres that sit alongside a Catholic cemetery on the west side of town, it was first planted in 1869. In the 1980s the church asked David to tear out the old vines, then he watched as the land lay fallow for close to two decades. When he finally got the chance to replant, he jumped. He'd tasted fruit from Cappella in the 70s. He knew what kind of wine it could make. But that first replant was ill-fated thanks to diseased rootstock, and once again he was ripping out vines.

“It took us six years before we had a crop. We could have ignored it, pulled the vines out one by one as they collapsed. But then we'd have all these different ripening patterns, which would impact consistency. It was an easy decision - David Abreu"

Coming from a site just outside of St. Helena, the 2019 Cappella is a deep, powerful, yet incredibly elegant Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated release offering lots of red and black fruits, full-bodied richness, incredibly complex notes of leafy herbs, spring flowers, green tobacco, and camphor, ultra-fine tannins, and a great, great finish. Few wines marry this level of richness with such a sense of elegance and purity. As with most 2019s, it already offers pleasure, yet do your best to give bottles 3-5 years. It will have 20-25 years of overall longevity - Jeb Dunnuck February 2023.