Hartwell XX is an estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon from blocks at the very top of our property on Wappo Hill. This 2-acre parcel was planted in 1986 by Bob Hartwell, who used cuttings of Grace Family Vineyard’s Bosche clone he had acquired from his friend, Dick Grace. 1990 was the first vintage from those vines, and the early wines of Hartwell Estate Vineyards were made at the Grace winery. Realm was given the opportunity to purchase these blocks in 2020, having acquired nearly 20 acres from the Hartwell family in 2015.
As Hartwell’s winemaker, Benoit had made a separate wine from these upper blocks for many years. Although our inclination could have been to simply fold these blocks into Moonracer, Benoit knew from experience that the Cabernets from the upper and lower blocks are quite distinct. When Benoit had Scott taste the upper block wines going back to the 1990s, the difference was obvious. The Grace/Bosche clone is part of that, but the soils up top are also different, more homogenous with pure, fragmented sandstone. And because the top is relatively flat, the exposure is more uniform than the lower hillside blocks.
The 2020 purchase of acreage included the 2018 and 2019 wines from these blocks, and we will continue to make Hartwell XX – named in part for the year we purchased the land - as a separate wine. The blocks need to be replanted, and our plan is to expand a bit to create five one-acre blocks, each one planted to a different Napa Valley heritage clone - the second origin of the XX name. One acre will consist of the Grace/Bosche clone, preserved from clean budwood. There’s a legacy here we want to honor, a continuity that goes all the way back to the relationship between the Grace and Hartwell families.
97 Points Jeb Dunnuck
"Coming from the top of the estate property on Wappo Hill (540 feet in elevation), the 2022 Hartwell XX has a brilliant nose of darker currants, violets, orange blossom, and tobacco, with some classic Pauillac-like tobacco and cedar nuances. It's rich, full-bodied, has a deep, layered mouthfeel, and ripe tannins. This beauty isn't going to make you forget the magical 2021, but we're clearly not far off, and this is already upfront and accessible. It will deliver the goods over the coming 15+ years."
98 Points The Wine Independent
"The 2022 Hartwell XX Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep garnet-purple in color, it opens with a classic nose of blackcurrant cordial, red currant jelly, and pencil shavings, followed by slowly emerging nuances of iris bulb, black olives, and Indian spices. The full-bodied palate delivers a rock-solid structure of firm, grainy tannins and just enough freshness, finishing long and spicy. Only 200 cases were made from this tiny 1.5-acre plot of mature vines. (LPB)"
95 Vinous
"The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Hartwell XX is packed with explosive dark fruit, chocolate, licorice and new leather. Inky and deep, the Hartwell is terrific. Ripe black cherry, plum, incense, licorice and chocolate are all dialed up. The 2022 is extroverted and quite potent."
