This vineyard might be one of the best kept secrets in Napa. Relatively new to Coombsville as it was established in 2014. Founded by Mike and Anna Martin after the purchase of Napa’s Appellations series, Italic’s sites just outside of the Napa Valley Country Clubs back 9 perched atop a neighboring hill. Once at the winery you will need to be buzzed in through the gate at the bottom of the hill so make sure you have a reservation. Once through the gates you will drive through the vineyard up the hill to the winery. The winery includes three large caves dug out of the mountain and this is where our tasting was located. Walking through the glass doors at the front of the cave leads you into a cool dark and slightly damp room perfect for storing and producing wine.

Once sat at the long farmhouse style tasting table we began our flight. This is a very red based tasting which fits our taste buds very well but for others may not be ideal so keep that in mind. Our host was very informative and was more than accommodating to all our questions and provided a lot of knowledge. Italic’s major grape varietal is Cabernet Sauvignon without a doubt but they do offer a few others such as Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc.

Our tasting included the Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, the Proprietary Red, the Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and the Italics Sixteen Appellations. The Italics Sixteen Appellations was extraordinary with notes of red fruit, rose pedal, dried herbs, mint and exotic spice. This wine was well balanced and packed a punch with nice extraction and high intensity.