Great wineries make great wines regardless of the vintage. I have noticed that over many years this has been true with HALL. I have been visiting HALL for more than a decade. This winery has been a pillar of consistency in Napa. Their high end wines are some of the finest you will taste in the valley. I’m also consistently enamored by their entry level wines that exude value.
Last week I had the chance to taste through some of their 2023 wines as well as 2024 futures. The wines were silky, elegant and show incredible promise. 2024 is going to be a really good vintage for HALL. Some of the wines couldn’t be fully reviewed as they needed time.
It was really fun tasting with the incredibly talented winemaking team of Megan Gunderson and Alison Frichtl Hollister. They have a deft touch on the wines that were drinking so well despite being so young. Hollister and Gunderson are bullish on both 2023 and 2024. 2024 for me so far shows a lot of promise, as these are going to be very intense wines with great power. They may show slightly less poise than the ‘23s.
I was so impressed by their 2024 HALL ‘Kathryn Hall’ Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 97) which is silky, pillowy and exudes class. This wine is remarkably good to taste in its youth. Do not miss out on the knockout 2023 HALL ‘Sacrashe’ Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 100) which really needs a year or two in the bottle but is a total head-turner. The flavor range here is insanely good.
Learn more about these incredible wines at hallwines.com Here are the beautiful new wines by HALL.
2022 HALL ‘Napa Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2022 ‘Napa Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon has a touch of Merlot blended in. Inky in the glass, this delivers sweet pipe tobacco aromatics that combine with kirsch, sandalwood and blackberry cordial notes. The palate is fresh and well-structured with bright red fruits, graphite and loads of minerality considering the heat of the vintage. Drink 2025-2032- 92
2023 HALL ‘Beller Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon- This comes from this high elevation site on Mount Veeder, developed by Rob Beller. This is an early ripening site that is leased by HALL which is mainly planted to Cabernet Sauvignon. Very dark in the glass, this shows off gorgeous potpourri notes alongside mountain huckleberry, fresh sage and wild blackberry pie. The intense aromatics bring you back to the glass for more hedonistic enjoyment. The palate is big and broad-shouldered with refined tannins and loads of chocolate, tar and tobacco leaf with stony nuances. A delight to savor in the glass now, enjoy this complex and delicious beauty over the next twenty years. Drink 2025-2045- 99
2023 HALL ‘Sacrashe’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2023 HALL ‘Sacrashe’ Cabernet Sauvignon comes from the original 20-acre, high-elevation, west-facing vineyard that Craig and Kathryn Hall purchased in the 1990s. Part of this vineyard was planted in 2001 and the other half was planted in the mid-90s — which has been redeveloped. Vines here are set on decomposed volcanic ash near Lake Hennessy. Violets, mocha and Cuban cigar notes combine with loganberry liquor and hints of black licorice all meld in the glass. The palate is dense and delicious with sensational structure and a polished mouthfeel. Give this beauty a year or two in the bottle before enjoying. Drink 2027-2045- 100
2023 HALL ‘Rainin’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The otherworldly 2023 ‘Rainin’ comes from this location on Diamond Mountain set on volcanic soils and surrounded by dense forest. This wine mainly come from Block 6 as well as Black 3 in the vineyard. The nose shows stunning aromatics of black florals, graphite, and pipe tobacco alongside suggestions of walnut. The palate is fresh, viscous and very heady with amazing length and underlying verve. This really needs another year or two in the bottle to come around but your patience will surely be rewarded. Drink 2027-2046- 100
2024 HALL ‘Kathryn Hall’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2024 ‘Kathryn Hall’ has a small portion of Merlot and Cabernet Franc blended in as this mainly comes from a range of wines including the famed Sacrashe Vineyard. This is ripe, dense and delicious wine that showing a refined mouthfeel and firm tannins. This comes off very pretty and elegant. Dense and delicious black and blue fruits collide with tar, tobacco leaf and graphite notes on the palate. Impeccably balanced, it is remarkable how well this downright ethereal Cabernet Sauvignon is drinking right now. Drink 2025-2035- 97
2024 HALL ‘Jack’s Masterpiece’ Cabernet Sauvignon- 95-97
2024 HALL ‘Stag’s Leap’ Cabernet Sauvignon- 95-97
2024 HALL ‘Mount Veeder’ Cabernet Sauvignon- 96-98
2024 HALL ‘Diamond Mountain’ Cabernet Sauvignon- A sensational wine from 2024, the ‘Diamond Mountain’ comes mainly from the Rainin and Constant Vineyard, as well as the 1510 Vineyards. 100% varietal, this offers loads of stony minerals with dense dark and blue fruits alongside Bing cherry, pipe tobacco leaf and volcanic soils. Heady, well structured and delicious, this is already singing in its hedonistic youth. Drink 2025-2042- 97
2024 HALL ‘Howell Mountain’ Cabernet Sauvignon- 95-97