07.22.21

Off the Beaten Path: Exploring Nickel & Nickel’s Hillside Cabernets

Calling all mountain wine lovers! At Nickel & Nickel, we currently grow and craft single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon across eight Napa Valley American Viticultural Areas (AVAs). Some, like Oakville and Rutherford, stretch across the fertile Napa Valley floor and up into the lower foothills. Others, like Howell Mountain, climb to rugged elevations that stretch into and above the fog line. There, the weathered soils tend to be less nutrient-rich and the climate variations more extreme. And, Nickel & Nickel Winemaker Joe Harden says, you can taste those differences in the wines that result. Ready to explore Nickel & Nickel’s more rugged side? From the Howell Mountain Cabernet Joe says “hits on all cylinders” to his favorite biodynamic bottling, Winemaker Joe Harden and Director of Vineyard Operations John McCarthy share the dirt on three of Nickel & Nickel’s most distinguished hillside Cabernets.