The 2023 Ghost Block Cabernet Sauvignon Single Vineyard is a small-production, Yountville AVA Cabernet made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Ghost Block is a long-established Napa Valley grower (more than 123 years in viticulture), and this bottling draws from the estate’s Yountville Hill site. The wine is organically farmed (CCOF) and produced in a tightly limited run of 266 cases. In the cellar, it was aged for 22 months in French oak with 27% new barrels, and the winery reports 13.2% alcohol with a pH of 3.73. The winemaking is positioned as minimally intervened: unfined, unfiltered, vegan, and fermented with natural, non-GMO yeast.

Critically, the wine has landed in a strong place for the vintage. Decanter rated it 97 points—an excellent review—and emphasized a savory, herbal register alongside the fruit, citing “tanned leather, tobacco, sage, bay laurel, spearmint over dark berry fruit,” with “supple tannins” and “balanced freshness,” and suggesting a long window (2026–2050). Robert Parker Wine Advocate followed with 94 points, calling it “medium-bodied” with “crushed stone, cassis, and black cherries,” and noting a “silky texture,” while also describing it as “the most approachable of Pilcrow’s 2023 Cabernets.”

Wine Spectator also awarded a 94-point score (an excellent result) and framed the wine in more overtly fruit-forward terms: “Broad and juicy,” with “a wave of blackberry and black cherry compote,” supported by “iris, ink and anise details.” Spectator adds that “singed apple wood and a hint of bay leaf add range on the finish,” and expects it to improve with time, recommending it “Best from 2027 through 2040.”

Taken together, the reviews point to a Cabernet that balances dark, ripe fruit with herbal and savory complexity, delivered in a polished, accessible structure that still has clear aging potential.