For over 20 years, Highlands Winery operated in "stealth mode." No flashy parties for critics, no chasing 100-point scores—just a crew of Napa legends (including veterans from Silver Oak and Cornerstone) making world-class Cab for those in the know.
But all good things must come to an end. Following the passing of partner David, the winery is taking its final bow with the 2020 Highlands Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. Sourced from a premier, undisclosed Coombsville site, this is everything a "Swan Song" should be: Rich, opaque, and sophisticated.
The Vibe: An "old-school meets luxury" Cabernet crafted by industry insiders who finally decided to retire.
Palate: Surprisingly fresh for a 2020. It sidesteps the overripe "jammy" notes of the vintage, instead delivering urgent bursts of blackberry, cassis, and boysenberry.
Structure: The Coombsville terroir shines through with a cooler finish that reins in the center-valley richness. Expect seamless, velvety tannins and a sophisticated oak profile (20 months in French oak).
Coombsville, Napa Valley
Tucked into the foothills of the Vaca Mountains, the Coombsville AVA spreads out to the west of the town of Napa and up the slopes of Mt. George. The soil is primarily volcanic in origin and proximity to the Bay keeps the area awash in fog and sea breezes. Because of its proximity to the San Pablo Bay, Coombsville experiences cooler temperatures compared to AVAs further north, allowing later grapes harvest and at more developed phenolic ripeness. The wine shows generous soft tannins and notes of dark black fruits such as blackberry and blackcurrant while retaining moderate alcohol and refreshing acidity.
Vintage
Coombsville being a little cooler than the main part of Napa benefited by being able to ripen slowly and evenly and produced notable elegant Cabernet with fresh dark fruit, violet notes, and fine-grained tannins. Cooled by San Pablo Bay fog, the wines here display a more restrained profile than warmer Napa areas, and produced profiles that are opulent and velvety, with beautiful concentration, color and depth.
Winemaking
The fruit was harvested by hand, carefully destemmed, then sorted and gently crushed into small fermenting tanks for 12 days, with an additional time on the skins to maximize the extractions of aromas, flavors and tannins. The wine was aged for 20 months in new French oak barrels.
Varietal Composition: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Appellation: Coombsville District, Napa Valley
Aging: 20 months
Type of oak: 100% French oak barrels
Harvest date: Sept. 23 – Oct. 10, 2020
Bottling date: August 2022
Alcohol: 14.2%
Production: 141 cases
Gold Medal
Generously packed with black cherry, cola, cassis, and plum that all intermingle together in a creamy, velvety texture with great layering, finishing with delightful notes of oak and spice. Persistent, well-defined structure, wonderfully balanced.
96 Point Vintage
Entices with aromas of Bing cherry, raspberry, and cedar spice. Indicative of the cool vintage, the wine carries a freshness throughout. The palate offers a harmonious balance between bright red fruit, spice, and nicely woven tannins.
94 Points
Opulent dark fruited with blackberry and ironstone mineral character, blue fruit notes, and violets with crushed cocoa nibs nuances and a long dark chocolate and mineral-scented finish. Ultra delicious and quite lengthy.
98 Points
Deep purple hue and an alluring aromatic profile of fresh blue fruits and delicate violets. On the palate, it delivers a seamless and layered texture, framed by supple, polished tannins and a refined sense of balance. Elegantly structured, it offers remarkable purity and finesse, finishing with graceful length and poise.
95 Points
This stellar Napa Valley Red Blend marries lush plum and cherry with Malbec's dark berry depth and Petit Verdot's structure and spice. Layered with notes of blackberry, violet, and cocoa, this silky wine finishes with smooth tannins and a whisper of toasted oak. Robust and mouth-filling, with spicy nuances, smooth tannins, firm structure, and a long lingering finish.
94 Points
Deep garnet-purple colored, it leaps from the glass with vibrant notes of fresh black currants, kirsch, and mulberries... Full-bodied, the palate delivers a firm line of grainy tannins with bold freshness to frame the muscular black fruit, finishing long and cedary.
Gold Medal
Light pink in color with aromas of watermelon, cranberry, orange rind, and fresh spring flowers that leap from the glass. The palate offers more peach, strawberry, and melon, with an intriguing note of rose and hibiscus. It's crisp with just the perfect hint of red fruit, and delicate whisper of strawberry that gives goosebumps.
