Joe Czerwinski
2023 Castiel Estate Sauvignon Blanc
Sourced from organically grown vines in Saint Helena, Castiel Estate's 2024 Sauvignon Blanc was barrel-fermented in French oak (20% new), then aged sur lies for eight months prior to bottling. Hints of pencil shavings accent guava and grapefruit notes in this silky-textured, medium-bodied wine.
Castiel Estate is based on an 88-acre holding on Howell Mountain owned by Dave and Kathleen DiCesaris. The first few vintages were produced from a neighbors' vineyard, but they've since added that to their original property. Celia Welch was the original winemaker, but as she has cut back on the number of consultancies, that role has been taken over by Maayan Koschitzky. "I love '23 for Howell Mountain," said Koschitzky, as we tasted the wines in the downtown Napa tasting salon of another of his clients. "You had a longer hang time to really develop the tannins," he said.
The Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a fine value, blending fruit from the Howell Mountain estate with fruit from Blue Hen, in Yountville. There's an excellent Sauvignon Blanc from Saint Helena. But the real gem is the Cabernet Sauvignon off the DiCesaris's property on Howell Mountain, which comes close to epitomizing that AVA's descriptors, including blue fruit, hints of pine and ample aging potential.
Rating: 90 pts
Maturity: 2025 - 2028