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Cathiard Vineyard - Founding Brothers Red Wine Napa2021

RED WINE

PUBLIC
June 2025
Prices and availability subject to confirmation
Cathiard Vineyard - Founding Brothers Red Wine Napa label
  • Producer Cathiard Vineyard
  • Blend 5% Cabernet Franc
    55% Cabernet Sauvignon
    40% Merlot
  • Country USA
  • Region California
  • Appellation Napa Valley
  • UPC 796554892122

Reviews

Decanter 98

The 2021 Founding Brothers is the flagship red from Napa Valley's Cathiard Vineyard, crafted from 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Franc, all from vines aged 20-30 years and aged 18 months in mostly medium toast Transais French oak barrels. Exquisite red florals lead the way on this nicely aromatic red, nuanced by savoury wild herbs and pops of liquorice and earth. The palate fruit is on the velvety side, with a medium body feel, great freshness, and a deep vein of ironstone minerals that last through a minute-long finish. That fruit is wonderfully pure and expressive—evoking spiced plums, cherries, and pomegranate—with tannins that feel intricate and super-fine, all woven together nicely and creating a smooth expression throughout.

by JC, Decanter , 2024

Jeb Dunnuck 96

The 2021 Founding Brothers is brilliant and has a certain Saint Julien-like style in its pure cassis, graphite, smoky tobacco, and floral aromas and flavors. These carry to a full-bodied 2021 that's beautifully concentrated, has a layered, seamless mouthfeel, beautiful tannins, and one great finish. This comes from an incredible terroir and is based on 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc. It's slightly more accessible than the flagship Cabernet Sauvignon, but I certainly wouldn't be surprised to see it evolve for just as long, given its beautiful balance and harmony.

by JD, Jeb Dunnuck , 2025

James Suckling 96

This is a very transparent and aromatic wine with flowers, currants and citrus character. Some pine needles. Medium-bodied with ultra-fine tannins that run the length of the wine and caresses your palate. Very fine and beautiful. A blend of 60% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot and 10% cabernet franc. Better in two or three years but gorgeous now. Drink or hold.

by JS, James Suckling , 2024

Jancis Robinson 18.5++

Quite Bordelais. Complex and appetizing. Real grip and layers. The most lifted and distinctive wine in this line-up of top 2021 Napa Cabs.

by JR, Jancis Robinson , 2024

The Wine Independent 95

The 2021 Founding Brothers, 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Franc, is deep garnet-purple in color. It prances out with showy notes of blackcurrant jelly, plum preserves, and wild blueberries plus hints of cardamom, iron ore, star anise, and dusty soil. The full-bodied palate delivers a firm, grainy texture and beautifully knit freshness to support the bright black and blue fruit layers, finishing long and mineral-laced.

by LPB, The Wine Independent , 2024

Technical Details

Description

The Founding Brothers is produced in homage to James and William Rennie the founders of the original winery on the property and images of both are portrayed on this label. In 1880, the two brothers, said goodbye to their native Scotland and set sail to California with high ambition in Napa Valley. Five years later they had built a stone winery and planted 60 acres of vineyards covering the Rutherford and St. Helena AVAs. The same estate is today owned by the Cathiard family. Founding Brothers is produced exclusively with estate grapes to capture the energy and singularity of this very special terroir. This bottling offers plenty of fruit but also shows some spice notes on both the bouquet and palate. It lingers with notes of dried cigar on the juicy and mouthwatering finish. The tannins are present but do not dominate. The 2020 bottling is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. It undergoes a naturally occurring malolactic fermentation in new French oak, followed by barrel-aging for 16-18 months, 40% new French oak and 20% large Foudre barrels.

Estate

Cathiard Vineyard is perched slightly above the valley floor on the lower slopes of the Mayacamas mountains with vineyards straddling both the Rutherford and St. Helena appellations. Over the decades, this historic property has featured numerous owners and vineyard and winemaking heritage dating back to the 1840’s. This exciting new estate is owned by Florence and Daniel Cathiard of Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte and several other Chateau in Bordeaux. 2020 is their first vintage release and the wines have already received rave reviews. These exceptional wines are crafted by head winemaker Justine Labbé and famed consulting winemaker Michel Rolland. The estate produces three unique expressions, each offer different personalities, the one characteristic all have in common is their superb balance. These are not heavy Napa Valley contemporary red wines, rather they have finesse and freshness, lively individualistic personalities and show extremely well with food.