2021 Hayfork Lewelling Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon

A rocking little gem of a wine from winemaker Haley Wight, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Lewelling Ranch has an up-front, fruit-driven perfume of black raspberries, plums, cassis, dried flowers, and spicy oak. These all carry to a full-bodied, opulent wine offering velvety tannins as well as the inherent elegance and purity of this great vintage.

Rating: 94

2021 Hayfork Field Select Cabernet Sauvignon

A smaller selection from a great site in St. Helena, the deep ruby-hued 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Field Select has a touch more restraint and elegance, with full-bodied aromas and flavors of cassis, plums, spicy oak, and dried flowers. A blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Petit Verdot brought up in 90% new oak, it's beautifully balanced, has fine-grained tannins, a good spine of freshness, and a gorgeous finish. This thrilling bottle of wine competes with wines 2-3 times its price. It should shine for 15-20 years if well stored.

Rating: 96

2020 Hayfork Lewelling Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon

An outstanding wine as well as a good value, the 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Lewelling Ranch has up-front, lively red and black fruits as well as some cedar and chocolaty nuances. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, nicely textured, and balanced, it's a rock-solid bottle of wine to drink over the coming decade.

Rating: 91

2019 Hayfork Lewelling Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon

I loved the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Lewelling Ranch, which is made by the talented Haley Wight. A blend of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petit Verdot, it has a vibrant bouquet of blueberries, fresh plums, violets, and tobacco. Rich, medium to full-bodied, and opulent on the palate, it stays perfectly balanced and a joy to drink. There are a scant 475 cases. You won’t find many Cabernets better than this at the price.

Rating: 94

2019 Hayfork Field Select Cabernet Sauvignon

Another rocking wine, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Field Select boasts a dense purple hue as well as gorgeous notes of blueberry pie, spice box, tobacco, and hints of iron and tapenade. It too is medium to full-bodied, has beautiful opulence, ripe tannins, and a great finish. A blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Petite Verdot, aged 20 months in 85% new French oak, it has another 15 years of prime drinking ahead of it. 175 cases.

Rating: 95

2019 Hayfork Lewelling Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Lewelling Ranch is a blend of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it slips sensuously out of the glass with provocative scents of boysenberries, plum preserves, cassis and underbrush, with hints of pencil shavings and charcoal. The full-bodied palate is wonderfully spicy with tons of juicy black fruits and a long opulent finish.

Rating: 92+

2019 Hayfork Field Select Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Field Select is composed of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it has a wonderfully perfumed nose of violets and black cherries, plus hints of dried mint, dark chocolate and clove oil. Full-bodied, the palate is densely laden with black fruits and minty layers, framed by firm, grainy tannins, finishing long and earthy.

Rating: 94

2018 Hayfork Lewelling Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon

Loads of pretty blue fruits, sappy herb, candied orange, and spring flower notes emerge from the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Lewelling Ranch. Medium to full-bodied, it has integrated acidity and a layered, textured, balanced style. Need a great Cabernet under $100? Buy this.

Rating: 93

2018 Hayfork Field Select Cabernet Sauvignon

A darker, richer, more expansive wine, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Field Select checks in as 89% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Petit Verdot, all from the Lewelling Ranch Vineyard, that spent 20 months in 90% new french oak. Notes of blue fruits, spiced plums, candied organge, and flowers give way to a full-bodied, incredibly sexy 2018 with sweet tannins, no hard edges, and a great finish. It’s a prime candidate for enjoying any time over the coming 15 years.

Rating: 95

2017 Hayfork Lewelling Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon

Haley Wight continues to make wines under her own Hayfork label. They deliver both quality and value. The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Lewelling Ranch reveals a ruby/purple hue as well as a spicy bouquet of mulberries, blueberries, tobacco leaf, and chocolate. These all carry to the palate, where the wine is medium to full-bodied, has an opulent texture, and a great finish. It’s both complex and hedonistic, and you can drink bottles today or cellar for 10-15 years if you’re so inclined.

Rating: 93

2017 Hayfork Field Select Cabernet Sauvignon

Even better, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Field Select is a smaller production release and is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Verdot, all from the Lewelling Ranch, that was brought up in new barrels. This stunning wine boasts a saturated purple color as well as blockbuster styled notes of crème de cassis, jammy blackberries, scorched earth, and subtle tobacco and underbrush-like nuances. From a great vineyard in St. Helena and a great winemaker, this is a no-brainer effort readers can enjoy any time over the coming 15+ years. There are a tiny 80 cases produced.

Rating: 95

2017 Hayfork Lewelling Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Lewelling Ranch, containing 4% Petit Verdot, was aged 20 months in 75% new French oak. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it springs from the glass with energetic red and black currants, blackberry preserves and black forest cake notes with hints of bay leaves and fragrant earth. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is filled with juicy black fruit and red fruit accents, framed by ripe, grainy tannins, finishing with lovely freshness. 620 cases made.

Rating: 92

2017 Hayfork Field Select Cabernet Sauvignon

From the Lewelling Ranch vineyard, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Hayfork Field Select is made up of 90% Clone 6 Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Verdot, aged 20 months in 100% new French oak. Deep garnet-purple colored, it is a little shy and subdued to begin, blossoming into pretty forest floor, dried flowers and dusty earth notions with a core of warm cassis, mulberries and boysenberries plus a hint of menthol. Medium to full-bodied, firm and solidly built, it has a taut, muscular, savory core and fragrant finish. Only 80 cases were made.

Rating: 94

2016 Hayfork Lewelling Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon

I loved the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Lewelling Ranch from winemaker Haley Wight, a blend of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot that spent 20 months in 75% new French Oak. It shines for its purity and elegance just as much as its richness and depth and gives up medium to full-bodied notes of red and blue fruits, violets, and espresso roast. With silky, ultra-fine tannins, no hard edges, and a great finish, it tastes like it cost 2-3 times the price.

Rating: 95

2016 Hayfork Field Select Cabernet Sauvignon

Even better, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Field Select is a selection of clone 6 Cabernet Sauvignon blended with 12% Petit Verdot, all from the Lewelling Ranch Vineyard and aged 20 months in new French oak. It’s a blockbuster that still shows the elegance and finesse that are common from this site. Notes of creme de cassis, graphite, blueberries, and a vibrant floral character all develop with time in the glass, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, perfect balance, silky tannins, and a great, great finish. It’s another thrilling wine from Haley Wight that can be drunk today or cellared for two decades or more.

Rating: 97

2015 Hayfork Lewelling Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Lewelling Ranch is a blend of 95% Cabernet and 5% Petit Verdot that spent 20 months in 70% new French oak. It has beautiful purity and elegance as well as perfumed notes of cassis, plums, spring flowers and chocolate. I love its purity of fruit and this layered, pretty, seamless 2015 is already impossible to resist, yet has 15+ years of prime drinking to go. There’s 730 cases and it’s well worth seeking out.

Rating: 94

2015 Hayfork Field Select Cabernet Sauvignon

Including more Petit Verdot (14%), the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Field Select was brought up all in new French oak, yet you wouldn’t know it by tasting this beauty. Blackcurrants, graphite, scorched earth, and hints of asphalt all flow to a rich, full-bodied, concentrated Cabernet Sauvignon that needs 3-4 years of bottle age. Along with the 2013, I suspect it’s the finest wine to date from this estate.  

Rating: 96+

Edible Marin & Wine Country, Gibson Thomas

Haley Wight’s family has been farming their historic St. Helena property since her great-great-great-grandfather John Lewelling established a farmstead there in 1864.

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2014 Hayfork Lewelling Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Lewelling Ranch is powerful, dense and also compact. This is an especially dark wine for the year, with plenty of muscle and depth. There is no shortage of intensity, but the 2014 comes across as raw and not fully put together. There is plenty of potential, even if the 2014 doesn't quite have the balance of the very best Hayfork Cabernets.

Rating: 91

2014 Hayfork Field Select Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Field Select opens with striking aromatics redolent of graphite, scorched earth, smoke, leather, tar and black cherries. The flavors are bold and incisive in a wine that is built on a sense of masculine strength. In 2014, Haley Wight opted for a high percentage of Petit Verdot (12%) and that comes through in the wine's pure power. The 2014 Field Select is a total knock-out and also one of the under the radar gems of the vintage.

Rating: 95

2013 Hayfork Lewelling Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Lewelling Ranch is bright, focused and nuanced, with striking aromatics and quite a bit of complexity. Understated and classy, with attractive freshness and tons of finesse, the Lewelling Ranch shows the more polished style of the year. Even so, there is plenty of underlying tannic grip.  

Rating: 94

2013 Hayfork Field Select Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Field Select is mostly a selection of Clone 4 Cabernet. Pliant, deep and resonant on the palate, the 2013 offers striking depth, but in the mid-weight style that characterizes all of these wines. A bit more new oak here gives the wine its texture, shape and overall feel. Dark cherry, chocolate, plum and spice meld into the pliant, nicely textured finish.

Rating: 93

2013 Hayfork Lewelling Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon

The exciting 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon from the respected Lewelling Ranch in St. Helena is a blend of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot. Aged 20 months in 70% new French oak, this has a relatively realistic price point for Napa. There are 700 cases of this opaque purple wine, which exhibits classic Pauillac notes of Christmas fruitcake, allspice, cedar wood, black and red currants as well as hints of underbrush and earth. It is medium to full-bodied, deliciously fruity and pure, with light to moderate tannin in the finish. Drink it over the next 15+ years.

Rating: 93

2013 Hayfork Field Select Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2013 Field Select is actually 98% Clone 4 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Petit Verdot, coming from the owner’s favorite block of the Lewelling Ranch. There are only two barrels, or 60 cases, so my notes are intentionally short, but this is a beauty. Inky purple, with plenty of blackberry and blackcurrant, some licorice, incense, subtle smoky oak, and a long, full-bodied, opulent finish, it should be drunk over the next 15+ years.

Rating: 94 

2012 Hayfork Lewelling Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2012 Hayfork Lewelling Ranch Cabernet, which is actually a great value in the scheme of Napa pricing, is a blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Petit Verdot that was aged for 20 months in 70% new French oak. The wine displays gorgeous licorice, lead pencil shavings, black currants, loamy soil undertones and a touch of barrique. Dense purple, it has a full-bodied, multi-layered mouthfeel and a stunning finish with good acidity and velvety, well-integrated tannin, alcohol and wood. This is a scrumptious, full-throttle Cabernet Sauvignon to drink over the next 15 or so years.

Rating: 96

2012 Hayfork Field Select Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2012 Hayfork Field Select is slightly more expensive and a much smaller cuvée of just two barrels compared to the 610 cases of the Lewelling Ranch. It is a flowery wine, with notes of licorice, chocolate, coffee bean, blackcurrants and new oak. The wine comes from their favorite block on Lewelling Ranch and is a blend of 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Petit Verdot. I didn’t like it as much as the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Lewelling Ranch, as it is more backward, more flowery, and just seems more structured, although potentially longer lived. Give it 4-5 years of cellaring and drink it over the following 25 years. 

Rating: 95+

Robert Parker Review

Hayfork was successful with their 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon, which possesses more concentration than many of its peers, no herbaceous or vegetal aspects, and sweet red and black currant aromas and flavors.  This attractive, reasonably well-endowed 2011 should drink well for a decade.

Rating: 89-91

Rebecca Yerger, NapaValleyRegister.com

For nearly 150 years, the descendants of John Lewelling have been stewards of the St. Helena farmstead he established in 1864. This dedication to their agricultural roots and the land has called for struggle, sacrifice and determination throughout the generations of the long-time Napa Valley farming family ....

Robert Parker Review

The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Lewelling Ranch has turned out beautifully now that it is in bottle.  Sweet red cherries, mint, licorice are beautifully layered in a wine that stands out for its ripe juicy personality.  Clean veins of minerality frame the refined finish.  This attractive, totally sexy Cabernet Sauvignon should drink well with minimum cellaring.  It is another terrific effort from winemaker Haley Wight. The 2010 is 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot and 3% Merlot.  Anticipated maturity: 2014-2024.

Antonio Galloni Rating: 93

Robert Parker Review

The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Lewelling Ranch is a bold, juicy wine bursting with blackberries, blueberries, flowers and mint. It shows gorgeous balance in an overt, forward style best suited for drinking over the near and mid term. Layers of flavor build to the effortless, textured finish. The 2009 is 97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Merlot that spent 19 months in French oak barrels, 70% new. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2019.

I was very impressed with the wines I tasted from Hayfork and winemaker Haley Wight. In addition to the 2009 I also tasted a preliminary blend of the 2010 that showed plenty of promise. This is an estate to watch for the future.

Antonio Galloni Rating: 92

Robert Parker Review

Some investment in patience will be warranted with this wine, which is 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Merlot from the Lewelling Ranch at the base of St. Helena's western hills. Aged in 100% new French oak, the wine is tight and restrained, but bursting with potential. Oodles of minerality, black currants, graphite, tobacco leaf, and spice box are all present in this deep, full-bodied, concentrated and powerful wine. However, the tannins are still present and the wine is in need of 4-5 years of cellaring. It should keep for 20-30 years.

Rating: 94+