2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Napa Valley

This historic property in Rutherford was originally planted in 1945, and many of the original vines remain. The property was owned by Bret Lopez's grandfather, Joseph Judson Cohn, who ran MGM and summered here (the name of the wine is a reference to "The Wizard of Oz," a production supervised by Cohn). Lopez purchased the property from his siblings after his grandfather died in 1996, actually splitting the acreage with Francis Ford Coppola, his neighbor. Replanting began in 2000, but the increasing amount of wine made here (just 250 cases were released in 2004, but there will be 800 cases of the 2005) still takes advantage of some of the estate's original vines, which are among the oldest cabernet vines in California. Over the years, this prime parcel, planted on St. George rootstock, supplied fruit for the fabled Inglenook cabernets from the '50s and '60s, Beaulieu Vineyard's George de Latour Reserve, Mondavi's Private Reserve cabernet, Opus One, Phelps Insignia and others. Celia Masyczek has been the winemaker here since the first vintage, 2003. Lopez candidly told me that he made the decision to increase production significantly following rave reviews for the 2003. He still sells off a bit of fruit, but Etude is his last remaining client.