Burgess Cellars "Contadina" Cabernet Sauvignon 2023
(Napa Valley, California) - [JS 95] [DM 95]

About this Winery:
Burgess Cellars has been family owned and creating wines with mountain distinction since 1972 on Howell Mountain in Napa Valley. When founder Tom Burgess purchased the 1870’s era winery in 1972, he established himself as a pioneer of mountain side wineries. Today, the second generation is building on Tom’s legacy. Brothers Steven Burgess and James Burgess took over as President and Vineyard Manager respectively. In 2013, Winemaker Kelly Woods, a UC Davis graduate, completed the new team, and together the trio has fined-tuned the vineyards and cellar to highlight mountain grapes.

The new direction of the estate is taking Burgess Cellars to the pinnacle of Napa Valley wine quality. At almost 1000 feet, far over the valley floor, Burgess produces wines from two estate hillside vineyards, Winery Ranch Vineyard and Haymaker Vineyard. Their hillside grapes tend to be smaller, with more concentrated flavors and tannins, varietal intensity and excellent aging properties.

About this Wine:
A Cabernet Sauvignon named for the Italian word for female farmer, Contadina. This is a way of paying tribute to the original Swiss-Italian farming families that first planted the slopes on Howell Mountain to grapevines in the 1870s. Often led by their strong matriarchs, these families laid the foundation for Burgess. Their heritage, tradition, and legacy are carried forward today by our Winemaker Meghan Zobeck.

The 2023 Contadina is a balanced yet lively Cabernet Sauvignon with notes of ripe blackcurrant and lush red cherry fruit, accentuated with herbal aromatics of sage, mint, and sweet tobacco, and a long, complex finish with rounded tannins. The provenance of these vineyards and the rigorous organic farming standards applied to them makes this a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon with a very generous quality-to-price rapport.

Blend: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc

Ratings & Reviews

95 Points - James Suckling:
"Fruit driven, with aromas of dark fruit, dried flowers, spices, coffee beans and graphite. The palate is mid-weighted with fine-boned tannins, bright acidity and a long, mouthwatering finish. There’s lovely finesse that is tightly wound, with juicy, early-drinking appeal. Delicious. Drink or hold." (Mar 2026)

95 Points - Decanter Magazine:
"Aged for 24 months in 30% new French oak barriques, the wine is sourced from Quartz Creek Vineyard in Oak Knoll and St Andrew Vineyard, also in Oak Knoll, both CCOF-certified organic sites. Reid Griggs succeeded Meagan Zobeck and oversaw the blending and bottling of the 2023 wines. The aim here is to craft a softer, restaurant-friendly Cabernet Sauvignon, and the result is bright, inviting, and immediately appealing. Crunchy red berry fruit is layered with chicory spice and cedarwood notes, while a gravelly, stony mineral texture and fine-grained tannins provide structure. The wine finishes with lingering cedarwood, loamy earth, and a subtle black olive nuance, delivering an expressive and gently persistent finish." - Jonathan Cristaldi (Mar 2026)