Conn Creek’s 2019 Special Selection is positioned as a house snapshot of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, built from a wide cross-section of the valley. As Decanter explains, the wine is “a blend of appellations that were among the original sources of the estate (established in 1973) and from sites around Napa Valley,” with fruit drawn from Mt. Veeder, Oakville, St. Helena, Howell Mountain, Rutherford, Atlas Peak, and Spring Mountain. It’s presented as a “classically fashioned snapshot of Napa Cabernet” seen “through the eyes of Elizabeth DeLouise-Gant,” Conn Creek’s winemaker since 2017, whose background includes Beaulieu Vineyard, Tamber Bey, and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars (Decanter).

The winery reports the 2019’s technical frame as 14.5% alcohol, aged 18 months in 40% new French oak, and an official blend led by 82% Cabernet Sauvignon with the balance in other Bordeaux varieties. That structure aligns with the wine’s evident focus on dark fruit, savory accents, and polished oak rather than overt sweetness.

Decanter’s assessment is notably strong, and the published 95-point score counts as an excellent review for the category and price tier. In the glass, Decanter highlights “very pretty blackberry fruit aromas, nuanced by tobacco, cedarwood, and graphite,” then moves to a palate described as “medium to full-bodied with tobacco-laced blackberry fruit, Bing cherry, and spiced plums.” Oak is present but framed as complementary: “delicious vanilla-kissed sweet oak spices” with “an undercurrent of mocha” (Decanter). The review also points to “fine-grained tannins” and a “finish of chalky minerality,” suggesting a Cabernet built for both near-term enjoyment and some cellar time.

More broadly, 2019 is often discussed as a fresher, more classic-feeling Napa vintage, and this bottling appears to lean into that profile with lift, detail, and restraint alongside Napa’s natural concentration.