Since bringing on the Forman wines from Napa Valley a few years ago, we’ve been honored to represent this bit of Napa Valley history. Ric Forman is one of the valley’s most storied winemakers – founding winemaker behind Sterling and later Newton, one of the first to import French barriques and winemaking techniques, and creator of his eponymous label. The Forman estate is tucked into the Vaca range, on Napa Valley’s eastern side, just below the Howell Mountain AVA. Forman purchased the land back in 1978 and dedicated himself to making Cabernet Sauvignon from this unique plot of land, adjacent parcels of uplifted riverbed and volcanic rock.
Ric’s Cabernet Sauvignon is both plush and structured, weaving together the best of Napa Cab styles past and present. In a recent conversation at the property, he pointed out that his vineyard is not capable of making a massive wine, no matter how ripe the fruit when he picks – the unique combinations of soils and elevation being a levity to the wines, with good extract but not overwhelming or blunting the palate.
Acclaimed wine writer Karen MacNeil, author of the Wine Bible and WineSpeed, called the FORMAN Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 her wine of the year, and her review tells you why this wine belongs in your cellar:
“Choosing our Wine of the Year wasn’t easy; we tasted a lot of great wines in 2024. But this year, we wanted to honor more than greatness. We wanted to honor commitment. And we wanted to honor a winemaker who has never put himself in the limelight, preferring to let his wines do the talking. For sixty years, Ric Forman has quietly been making some of the most legendary wines in Napa Valley. Much of that time was as a winemaker for others. But in 1983, Forman also went out on his own, founding, on a mountain ridge top, a small winery where he could make a tiny amount of Napa Valley Cabernet in what he calls a “European style.” Precise, vivid, rich and sleek, it’s a Cabernet with a beautiful, even majestic, arc of flavor. Forman is a master of (soft) tannin and (long) length. This wine’s velvety suppleness keeps going and going and going. It’s a mesmerizing Cabernet from a man with a huge track record. I’m happy to say that Forman Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 from Napa Valley is our Wine of the Year.”
Considering this excellent review, we’re delighted to make a small quantity of this vintage available for our club members in multiple formats. Ric also produces a laser-like Chardonnay, with fruit coming from the Star vineyard, Dijon clones planted in the free-draining alluvial soils on the western part of the valley in the Rutherford Bench.
- 2023 Forman Vineyard Chardonnay, 750ml
- 2019 Forman Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, 750ml
- 2019 Forman Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, 1500ml
- 2019 Forman Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, 3000ml
