Ashes & Diamonds Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 Lettie Teague WSJ On Wine from a distillery founded in

from a distillery founded in 1869 by John Smith—former manager of both Macallan and Glenlivet

The style is California-generous but not flabby: subtle toasty oak frames orchard fruit

During Prohibition

Whole-cluster fermented with native yeasts

Ashes & Diamonds Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 Lettie Teague WSJ On Wine from a distillery founded inAshes & Diamonds set out to recapture the Napa of the 1960s and '70s, when Cabernet was balanced and built for the table rather than the cellar's bragging rights. This bottling, made by Diana Snowden Seysses of Domaine Dujac fame, draws from select vineyards in the cooler Oak Knoll District. Eighteen days of stainless steel maceration and aging across French, Austrian, and neutral oak keep the touch deliberately light. The aim is finesse over force: a