Triple 97pt 2021 Napa Cab Sub-$60 LAST CALL・NYT's #1 Napa Cab for '26・WE TOP 100 Rank #29
Pre-Sell Open Now · Bottles Arrive At The End Of This Week
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Est. 1971 · Dry-Farmed From The Start · 1,652 Cases Of Cabernet · 130 Cases Of Cabernet Franc
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A Personal Note
Dear Artisans, Some phone calls you hope for. This was one of them. Smith-Madrone is down to its final five cases each of the 2021 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2021 Estate Chardonnay — and the winery has released all of them to us. They arrive at the end of this week. These are the greatest Napa 'best buys' in existence, from the greatest 2021 vintage, down to the end. The Well is Running Dry. Don't Miss These! “These Wines Are Dumb”
A wine writer who goes by The Drunken Cyclist describes this clearly. Logging this exact Cabernet on CellarTracker, he wrote: “It is time to call it what it is: Smith-Madrone wines are dumb. Yes. I said it. I have told both Stu and Charlie to their faces that what they are doing is dumb.” What is so dumb? His words again: they “regularly produce wines that punch well above the respective price, wines that not only demolish the price point, but challenge what it means to be from ‘Napa.’” He scored the wine 95 and closed with “a wonderfully balanced, food-friendly masterpiece, worthy of any table. Bravo. Outstanding.” He is right, and the numbers prove it. Three separate publications gave this Cabernet 97 points — the same score Scarecrow earned at $992 and Opus One at $460, in the same vintage. Ours is $59.97. The wine is brilliant. The price is what makes no sense. Why The Price Makes No Sense
There is an honest answer. Stuart and Charles Smith cleared the forest, planted the vines, and built the winery by hand in 1971, and for fifty-five years they have farmed the same dry-farmed estate at the top of Spring Mountain without irrigation, without trend-chasing, and without ever repricing their wines to match their scores. The Drunken Cyclist lists the winery’s own retail at $65. Our buying relationship puts it in your hands below even that. And 2021 was the vintage that caught them at their peak. After the heartbreak of 2020, the year delivered cool nights, steady sun, and drought-concentrated berries; James Suckling calls it an “apex vintage,” and Jeb Dunnuck “truly exceptional.” Vines that have never known irrigation were built for a year like that. The Second Cabernet Franc They Have Ever Made
Now the treat. Alongside the last of the 2021s, we secured two of the 130 cases of the 2022 Estate Cabernet Franc — only the second bottling of the varietal in the winery’s history. If you love what the 17.7% Cabernet Franc does inside their Cabernet, this is that voice singing solo. James Suckling gave it 95 points: “finely constructed, balancing power and freshness with a mountainous feel... a delightful cabernet franc.” The Wine Advocate went 93 for its violets, cassis, blueberry and silky tannins. Twenty-four bottles is all we will ever have. How The Pre-Sale Works
Order now and your bottles are reserved. All three wines are open for pre-sale today; the truck lands at the end of this week, and we will confirm the moment your order is ready. First come, first served — and with five cases of each 2021, “sold out” will not take long.
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The Value Equation
2021 Napa Cabernets Scoring 97 Points,
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| Wine | Score | Source | Price |
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Scarecrow Cabernet
Rutherford · 2021
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97 | Wine Advocate | $992 |
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Opus One
Oakville · 2021
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97 | Vinous | $460 |
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Kenzo Estate “ai”
Napa Valley · 2021
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97 | James Suckling | $300 |
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Larkmead “Solari”
Napa Valley · 2021
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97 | Jeb Dunnuck | $200 |
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Smith-Madrone Estate
Spring Mountain · 2021 · Est. 1971
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97 | ×3 Publications | $59.97 |
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A full case of Smith-Madrone (12 bottles) costs less than a single bottle of Scarecrow. Same score. Same legendary vintage. Same quarter-century cellar window. |
| Reserve The Cabernet — $59.97 → |
The People Who Bought It,
In Their Own Words.
Critics taste from a lineup. CellarTracker is different: it is where collectors log the bottles they opened at their own tables, bought with their own money. Here is the community’s verdict on the 2021 Cabernet — 94 to 96 points, unedited:
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“Really could be the best value hillside wine in Napa... Far better than other recent $50–100 Napa Cabs I have purchased.” Toebel · CellarTracker · 95 Points
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Eight Reasons To Go Deep Right Now
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01
The Score-To-Price Ratio Is Historic
Three 97-point scores under $60 is essentially unheard of in Napa Cabernet. The other 97-point 2021s run $200 to $992. This is a pricing anomaly that will not repeat.
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02
The 2021 Vintage Is Generational
James Suckling calls it an “apex vintage.” Jeb Dunnuck calls it “truly exceptional.” Critics agree 2021 is Napa’s best vintage in at least a decade, possibly longer.
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03
A 20-Year Cellar Window
Decanter says drink 2026–2046. Buy two cases: drink one bottle a year from the first, cellar the second. Save birth-year bottles for the milestones ahead.
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04
The Supply Ends This Week
Only 1,652 cases were made from drought-reduced yields, and the winery’s warehouse is down to its last five. Those five are on their way to us. When they sell, it is over.
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05
The New York Times Says So
Eric Asimov named this one of only three Napa Cabs in his “10 Wines You Should Be Drinking in 2026.” Few endorsements in American wine carry more weight.
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06
Michelin Sommeliers Already Chose It
On the lists at PRESS in St. Helena (perhaps the deepest California Cabernet cellar anywhere), La Toque, and The Little Nell in Aspen. The gatekeepers have spoken.
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Fifty-Five Years Of Integrity
Same family. Same dry-farmed vines since 1971. They have never chased trends or inflated prices, and that patience is exactly why the secret finally got out.
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The Franc Encore
Only the second Cabernet Franc in the winery’s history: 130 cases made, 95 points from Suckling, and we secured two cases. A collector’s footnote in the making.
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| Flagship | NYT Pick 2026 | WE Top 100 · #29 | Triple 97 |
| 97 Decanter |
97
Wine Enthusiast |
97
Wine Review Online |
94 Suckling |
93+
Wine Advocate |
93 Bargreen |
93
Intl Wine Review |
Decanter’s 97-point note says it plainly: tannins “firm, soaring, built like sky-scrapers, yet remarkably well-integrated,” with black cherry, red currant, wildflowers, sage and graphite — “true cellar-worthy gems.” Drink 2026–2046.
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Blend: 81.9% Cab Sauvignon, 17.7% Cab Franc, 0.4% Petit Verdot
Aging: 18 months, 65% new French oak
Cellar: 2026–2046
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Production: Only 1,652 cases made
ABV: 14.3%
Winery retail: $65
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| Elsewhere: $65.00 | $59.97 | Below Winery Retail |
| Estate White | 95 Points · Twice |
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95
Wine Enthusiast |
95
Wine Review Online |
94 Bargreen | 93 Suckling |
93
Wine Advocate |
90
Wine Spectator |
Freshly re-reviewed, and the scores climbed. Wine Enthusiast’s 95: “Enticing with layers of aroma and flavor... Juicy, compelling, satisfying. A pleasure.” Wine Review Online matched it at 95 and promised “you won’t want to miss what happens when you revisit the vintage several years down the road.”
Decanter once called a previous vintage “one of the finest Napa wines in existence for $45.” This one is $42.97.
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Varietal: 100% Chardonnay, barrel fermented
Aging: 10 months, 50% new French oak
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Production: Only 1,001 cases made
Drink: Now through 2033 · ABV 14.0%
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| Elsewhere: $46.00 | $42.97 |
| New Arrival | Second Vintage Ever | Only 130 Cases Made |
| 95 James Suckling | 93 Wine Advocate |
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James Suckling · 95 Points
“Finely constructed, balancing power and freshness with a mountainous feel, showing aromas of black currants and berries, wild herbs, spices, dried flowers and crushed stones. The taut, full-bodied palate has bright acidity and supple, mouthwatering tannins. A delightful cabernet franc. Drink or hold.” Mar 2026 |
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Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate · 93 Points
“Another excellent, varietally expressive effort. Marked by violet scents and notes of cassis and blueberry, it’s medium- to full-bodied and richly concentrated, framed by silky tannins and culminating in a long, mouthwatering finish. Drinking Window: 2026–2040.” Joe Czerwinski |
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Blend: 89% Cab Franc, 10% Cab Sauvignon, 1% Petit Verdot
Aging: 19 months, 55% new French oak
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Production: Only 130 cases made
Drink: 2026–2040 · ABV 14.3%
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| $81.99 |
Build Your Case
Three ways to stock the cellar before the truck is empty.
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The Purist
12 Bottles Cabernet
The triple-97 flagship. Drink 6. Cellar 6 for 2046. $719.64 12 × $59.97 · less than one Scarecrow |
★ The Estate Pair ★
6 Cabernet + 6 Chardonnay
The red and the white. One case, every occasion. $617.64 12 bottles · avg $51.47/btl |
The Completist
4 Cab + 4 Chard + 4 Franc
All three wines, including the second-ever Franc. $739.72 12 bottles · avg $61.64/btl |
| Reserve Your Bottles → |
Five cases of each.
Then the 2021s are history.
Here is what you are weighing: a winery founded in 1971, still run by the brothers who cleared the forest and built the barn by hand. A vintage critics call the best in a generation. Three 97-point scores on the Cabernet, a #29 Top 100 ranking, a New York Times endorsement — and the winery’s warehouse down to five cases of each wine.
If you have been meaning to put some of this away, this is the moment. There is nothing behind these cases, and the twenty-four bottles of Cabernet Franc will not wait around either.
The Drunken Cyclist called these wines dumb. Be smart about it.
Cheers,
— James Tran
| Reserve Smith-Madrone → |
Five Cases Each Of The 2021s · 24 Bottles Of The Franc · Arriving End Of This Week
Call 650-917-8080, text 650-880-3553, email sales@artisan.wine, or chat with us
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