North of San Francisco, between the Mayacamas and Vaca Mountain ranges, lays the Napa Valley and for over 45 years, Oberon has has roots (wine roots, that is) in Napa. Oberon’s Winemaker, Tony Coltrin was born and raised in St. Helena, Napa Valley and have spent over 45 years making wine from some of the best Napa Valley vineyards. Coltrin knows every corner of the valley and precisely which sub-zones excel at producing Bordeaux grapes of exceptional character.

Despite being one of the smallest winegrowing regions in the world, Napa Valley abounds with complexities due to its undulating topography ranging from breeze-blown flatlands near sea level and rolling hills at the southern end, to steep hillsides rising up to Mount St. Helena at the northern border. The differences in soil composition throughout the valley and variances in cooling breezes, sun exposure, and daily temperature swings create a great number of distinct microclimates for a region so small.

Oberon Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 – SRP: $25

This Cabernet Sauvignon has a rich and bold color that leads into aromas and flavors of blackberry and cassis and finishes with notes of coffee, dark chocolate, and spice. In addition, the wine has a touch of Petite Verdot and Zinfandel. It then ages for 13 months in French oak (45% new French oak), giving the wine a round, full finish, spicy tannin, and plush, ripe fruit.

The 2019 vintage was a near-perfect growing season, with cool weather through July into early
August. We then saw ideal warm weather conditions until the last fruit was resting safely under the
watchful eyes of winemaking teams all over the Napa Valley. Throughout our sub-appellations,
harvest of our 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards began in late October and continued through
the first week of November, with the long ripening season contributing to the development of
beautiful fruit flavors.

Final Thoughts: 

Big, bold with lots of tobacco, dark fruit, cinnamon. Smooth and balanced on the palate. Some dry tannins, then more rich dark fruit. A light herbal note on the finish. Despite being a younger wine, from tip-of-tongue to smooth lingering silky aftertaste. I’d compare it to nearly on par with many cab bottles costing 2-3 times the price. Probably not something you would want to keep cellared for years, but definitely worth keeping a few bottles around for a nice steak.

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Oberon Merlot 2019 – SRP: $23

Oakville vineyards provide the fruit for this Merlot, and the result is a wine with a velvety structure. With pure flavors of plum and black currant fruit at the front, chocolate and coffee notes round out the finish. The wine is finished with Dry Creek-sourced Syrah and Zinfandel, adding a touch of spice and firm acidity, perfect for foods from the grill. 

Final Thoughts:

Merlot can be either very fruity and light or bold and dry; but somehow Oberon has managed to create the perfect middle of that scale. The wine starts with fresh dark chocolate note with a hint of tartness that quickly overturns into medium sweet berry fruity-ness that switches right back in to a oaky vanilla finish that leaves a lingering cocoa notes that need to be satiated with a follow up sip.

Disclosure: We received these wines in exchange for our honest review. The opinions expressed in our review are our own. No other compensation was given.