2022 Hundred Acre Fortunate Son The Diplomat Red Wine Napa Valley

About the Wine

Hundred Acre is one of those estates, where if you are in the know then you know. The quality of the wines made here is almost impossible to describe without using words like ethereal, sublime, and perfection. These highly coveted bottles regularly flirt with perfection. In fact, the ARK bottling has only ever scored outside of the 90s five times in its history, and those all received 100 points. There is only so much praise one place can receive, Hundred Acre no longer pursues critical ratings.

Jayson Woodbridge is the genius behind Hundred Acre since its inception in 1998. Imagine this: In only his second attempt, his wines earned a coveted spot on the Wine Spectator Top 100 list, and between 2002 and 2015, they notched up over twenty perfect 100-point scores from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.

Now, fast forward to the resurrection of his Fortunate Son brand. After years of relentless searching for the perfect vineyard plots, Jayson brings us "The Dreamer," "The Diplomat," and "The Warrior." These wines hail from charming, family-owned vineyards, and they're crafted with the utmost care in Hundred Acre's state-of-the-art underground winery.

The 2022 growing season was truly special, with plenty of winter rain to fill the reservoirs and abundant sunshine and heat through the summer months. An unusual late-season rain washed the dust off the berries, starting a gentle cooling trend that set up perfectly for the final ripening push in the Fall. The weather conditions in 2022 allowed time to push that envelope to the limit, resulting in wines with an intense fruit expression and a full-bodied core.

Sourced from small, family vineyards, (in some cases for 3-4 generations) that are farmed with great care and attention. These vineyards (some are 80+ years old) have been brought together, actually woven together, so the magical fruit could at last become Fortunate Son.

Aging: 24-30 months in the finest French oak barrique. 

ABV: 15.5%

Tasting Notes

63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot & 4% Petite Sirah.

Dark cocoa and ripe strawberry lead the charge, followed by vanilla bean and a cool streak of stone-driven minerality.

Sweet almond, flaky pie crust, and a whisper of rose petal add lift and finesse, while fresh-cut cedar and a hint of peppermint keep everything bright.

Silken tannins glide across the palate, carrying layers of red fruit and warm spice to a finish that’s polished, poised, and quietly powerful.

Critic Reviews

Dark berry aromas with some graphite and stone. Medium-bodied with very fine tannins that are creamy and polished. Succulent and very long. Juicy finish. Lovely tension and drinkability already. Blend of cabernet sauvignon and merlot, aged 35 months in barrels. Drink or hold. ~ 97 James Suckling

Inspired by Winston Churchill, this wine embodies the purity and poise of fine Claret—a quality Jayson Woodbridge believes could stand shoulder to shoulder with France’s greatest vintages. The 2022 is bright, lifted, and subtly powerful—pure-fruited and elegant, yet unmistakably Californian in its confidence and polish. “It’s as good as the British Empire would have been had they loved Claret like this,” muses Woodbridge during our tasting. Red currant and cherry fruit lead the way, accented by perfumed rose petals. The wine glides across the palate with the smooth precision of a Rolls-Royce, every cylinder firing in harmony. The finish is long and refined, with fine cocoa-powder tannins that build around deep, succulent fruit, carrying tremendous intensity and staying power. ~97 Decanter

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