2023 Revana ‘RX’ Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

The 2023 Revana Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is my pick for the #1 quality-for-money wine of the vintage in Napa Valley. I don't say that lightly, and I taste a lot of Napa Cab. Here's why this bottle is an anomaly. It's made by Thomas Rivers Brown — the winemaker with more 100-point scores than virtually anyone in California. Seven of Revana's eight estate wines sell for $250 to $600 a bottle and routinely land 97–100 points. This is the eighth. Same hands, same fruit philosophy, same obsessive winemaking — at a fraction of the tariff. That gap doesn't usually exist, and when it does, it doesn't last. The 2023 vintage has the markings of a modern Napa classic — the kind of year that gets mentioned with 2007, 2013, and 2018. In the glass: blackberry, cassis, dark plum, graphite, violets, cedar. The palate is powerful but precise — layered dark fruit, polished tannins, fresh acidity, and the kind of balance that's hard to fake and impossible to manufacture. The rare part is that it does both jobs. It has the structure and concentration to reward 15+ years in the cellar, and it's drinking beautifully right now. Within Revana's lineup, this is the sleeper — the bottle that overdelivers most violently on price.
Now the hard truth: total production is a mere 500 cases. Dr. Revana — a fellow Texan I've known for years — allocated Big Hammer Wines 20% of the entire production. That's our whole position, and there is no reorder. When a 100-point winemaker makes 500 cases of anything, it disappears. If you collect serious Napa Cabernet, the math is simple: 100-point winemaker, benchmark vintage, sibling wines at three to six times the price, and 500 cases on Earth. Buy it before the people who track Thomas Rivers Brown's portfolio figure out what this one costs.~97 Greg Martellotto, Big Hammer Founder & CEO

The 2023 'RX' Cabernet Sauvignon opens with an aromatic rush of dark fruit—black currant, Bing cherry, and a hint of blueberry—layered with lifted violets, crushed graphite, spices, and dried herbs, all of which echo seamlessly onto the palate. It is full-bodied and beautifully textured, delivering impressive concentration without sacrificing polish. A dense core of ripe black fruit is wrapped in velvety tannins, unfolding in waves of flavor that build toward a long, expansive finish. This is a bold yet refined expression that is already striking in its complexity, with the structure and balance to reward cellaring for the next twenty years. ~ 95 International Wine Report 

Black-fruited, spicy aromas layered with licorice, tapenade, bitter chocolate and earth. The full-bodied palate offers a taut line of acidity and softly integrated tannins that bring a mineral edge. Made from 75% cabernet sauvignon, 15% cabernet franc and 10% merlot. A delightful bottling showing lovely purity. Drink or hold. ~ 94 James Suckling

A blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon with equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Franc brought up in barrel, the 2023 RX comes from the EdCora Vineyard on Atlas Peak and 1993 plantings from Shifflett Ranch. This ripe, seductive effort offers both red and black fruits, leafy tobacco, and floral nuances. It's medium to full-bodied on the palate, with soft, supple tannins and a beautiful finish. This sexy wine is well worth your time and money. There are 543 cases produced, and it should have 10-15 years of prime drinking. Drink 2025-2040. ~ 93 Jeb Dunnuck