2022 Stony Hill Vineyard SHV Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Stony Hill Vineyard stands as one of Napa Valley's most singular estates.

Founded in 1952 by Fred and Eleanor McCrea, the winery was among the first built in the valley after Prohibition, and spent the better part of six decades making an unlikely choice: in a valley that would become synonymous with Cabernet Sauvignon, Stony Hill produced white wine exclusively — chiefly Chardonnay — through 2009.

The estate occupies a 160-acre property above St. Helena on the slopes of Spring Mountain, cultivating grapes on approximately 42 acres at elevations ranging from 400 to 1,500 feet, facing north and east.

Soils are composed of decomposed sandstone and shale, with more iron-rich volcanic soils at the upper elevations. Since 2019 the vineyard has been certified organic by the California Certified Organic Farmers program and also holds Demeter biodynamic certification. In 2020, Stony Hill became part of Lawrence Wine Estates, owned by Gaylon Lawrence Jr. and Master Sommelier Carlton McCoy Jr., who have taken careful steps to preserve the estate's legacy while keeping the integrity of the land and winemaking style intact.

A major replanting began the same year, rebalancing the vineyard toward red varieties better suited to the region's warming temperatures, with Cabernet Sauvignon ultimately occupying 14 acres and Cabernet Franc an additional 5 acres. Winemaker Reid Griggs leads production across the full Stony Hill portfolio.

The SHV Cabernet Sauvignon is the signature expression at the heart of Stony Hill's red wine program — a blend drawing from the estate's "early" Spring Mountain vines alongside its Ink Grade and Linda Falls hillside sites.

Crafted in a leaner manner than most contemporary Napa Valley Cabernets, it focuses on lively acidity and balance rather than ripeness or extraction, making it an exceptionally food-friendly wine by the standards of the appellation.

The 2022 vintage is described by the estate as a lithe mountain wine with tremendous breadth and length without weight — a restrained, site-driven style that has been Stony Hill's hallmark since its first Cabernet release in 2009.