The 2019 Triniceros Cabernet Sauvignon from Fairest Creature, a Napa Valley winery founded in 2018, has been named the single greatest Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon of the 21st century by Robb Report. This recognition places the ultra-limited wine above iconic, legacy producers in the prestigious publication's ranking of the 50 Greatest Cabernet Sauvignons of the Century so far. Robb Report authors Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen wrote that while Fairest Creature has been producing acclaimed Napa Cabs for years, this particular blend stands out. They described the wine as having heady aromas of blue fruits, cocoa powder, espresso, black raspberry, and graphite with jaw dropping flavors of ripe red and black fruits, tobacco leaf, and brown baking spices supported by a sturdy backbone of minerality.
The achievement is particularly significant given Napa Valley's established winemaking history, which stretches back to 1839. The region has long been heralded as a source of world-class Cabernet Sauvignon. In unveiling their list, DeSimone and Jenssen acknowledged this depth and enduring appeal, making Fairest Creature's top placement a notable disruption of the traditional hierarchy. Fairest Creature proprietor Jayson Hu, who founded the winery after shifting from a Silicon Valley technology background to wine nearly two decades ago, expressed honor at the recognition. The winery's approach involves securing premier vineyard sources in Napa Valley and assembling a highly sought-after winemaking team. For more information, visit https://FairestCreature.com.
The winemaking process behind Triniceros involves a unique collaborative structure. Each of the three winemakers—Philippe Melka, Benoit Touquette, and Thomas Rivers Brown—creates one wine from identical vineyard sources with every release. The fourth wine, which includes the 2019 Triniceros, is a barrel selection of all the vineyard lots made by these three winemakers, blended by world-renowned winemaker Michel Rolland. This method represents a modern, team-oriented approach in a region often dominated by single-winemaker estates. The Robb Report ranking suggests that emerging wineries with innovative production models can compete with and even surpass established names in critical evaluations.
It validates Hu's years of intentional education, study, and immersion in wine, which included visiting and studying great vineyards and wineries worldwide before launching Fairest Creature. The winery currently produces four wines made from nine different Napa vineyards, with the Triniceros blend representing the pinnacle of their collaborative effort. The authors specifically noted that this blend of three separate barrels first produced by legendary winemakers Thomas Rivers Brown, Benoit Touquette, and Philippe Melka and then assembled by superstar blender Michel Rolland stands out as the best Napa Cab they have tasted in a long time. This recognition from a major publication underscores how new entrants with fresh methodologies are reshaping perceptions of quality and prestige in one of the world's most famous wine regions.
