Our search for Napa Valley Cabernets at good prices has taken us down yet another enticing rabbit hole.  This time we popped out at the doorstep of Master Sommelier Ian Cauble who you might remember for his featured roles in the Somm and Into the Bottle films.  As we all saw, Ian’s eye for detail and incredible ability focus served him very well on his journey to become a Master Somm and, then, on his subsequent wine-related endeavors.  Those attributes are also on display in Method, his first foray into actual winemaking.  Cauble built this project around a great piece of well-known (but purposely anonymous) dirt in Saint Helena and winemaker Trevor Sheehan of Precision Wine Company. ‘Precision’ is an apt descriptor, as every detail had to be right- from the proper, meticulously maintained organic farming in the vineyard to all the cellar work necessary to create a Napa Cab with character, finesse and staying power.  Lo and behold, we have the 2021 Method Napa Valley Cabernet, one of the best deals in quality Napa Valley Cab we’ve seen this year.  Aged 15 months in both new French oak and American barrels, 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Verdot, it’s a wine with the bells, whistles and pedigree of many competitors costing three or four times as much.  We very much admire the freshness and immediacy of its aromatics; all currants, blueberries, spring-y florals and chocolate mint.  We also liked that it manages to be both robust and assertive while, at the same time, remaining relatively light on its feet and easy to love.  Method, we thought,  would do wonderful service as a young wine with your spring and summer barbecued fare and only improve over the next five or six years too.  What a nice find!  The bad news?  We’ve only been allocated 10 cases.  Please get yours soon!  

James Suckling: A structured and powerful wine with blackcurrant, dark chocolate and hazelnut. Crunchy seeds. Flowers. It’s full and juicy. Plenty of fruit and a fresh finish. Clearly shows the excellence of the vintage with the pure fruit. Drink or hold.  95 points
 Wine Enthusiast: An open, racy cabernet, this has the cool feel of stone in a deep well, that tannic depth completely filled by ripe plum fruit. Brighter notes of cherries and cranberries emerge with air, and the wine retains its lively feel, suggesting it will improve over the next several years in bottle. 92 points