Single vineyard, organic & dry farmed, Calistoga (Stellareese buys all the fruit…a monopole!) Generous fruitiness: dark red cherries, red currants and pomegranate syrup. Sturdy frame of French oak (“more new than we’ve ever used before” owner Rachel Stellareese Davies reports) gives the wine more sweetness and structure. The Stellareese Cabernet Sauvignon is a delicious, “showy” Cabernet. And as good as it is today, will get significantly better over time. Best drinking, I estimate, to be 2021-2026.
Rachel Stellareese Davies started Stellareese in 2007 while at T-Vine Cellars, working for Greg Brown. The winemaking has since moved to Outpost, where husband Geoff Davies makes the wine as he works in the cellar there. One of the more original names I’ve come across, Stellareese combines her parents’ affection for “A Streetcar Named Desire” and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, according to Rachel.
Add to my favorites