Why it matters
The producer
Spottswoode makes Cabernet with an estate-vineyard centre of gravity. Its Estate Cabernet Sauvignon draws on a Cabernet-led site in western St. Helena, while Lyndenhurst carries the estate fruit into a wider Napa Valley blend. That division matters in the glass: Estate Cabernet has a firmer, more cellar-bound shape, while Lyndenhurst brings vibrant fruit and finer-grained tannin earlier.
Beth Novak Milliken and Lindy Novak steward the property, with Aron Weinkauf serving as winemaker and vineyard manager. Their work begins with 24 hand-farmed blocks rather than a single undifferentiated Cabernet parcel, allowing lots with different clones, vine ages and rootstocks to remain separate until blending.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
St. Helena sits in northern Napa Valley, and Spottswoode occupies its western edge at the foot of the Mayacamas Mountains. The bottle can therefore carry both Napa Valley and St. Helena context, but its character is built more narrowly from a single estate vineyard for Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. Cabernet Sauvignon is the dominant planting, making dark fruit, firm tannin and long finishes the central shape of the red wines.
Lyndenhurst works on a broader scale. It is a Napa Valley Cabernet based around Spottswoode estate fruit and supplemented with fruit from other family-owned Napa Valley vineyards. The label signals that wider source; the palate remains Cabernet-driven but is made for a more open, earlier approach than the Estate wine.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
Spottswoode began organic farming in 1985 and received California Certified Organic Farmers certification in 1992. The vineyard work is hands-on and block-specific: Cabernet fruit from varied vines, rootstocks and clones can be assessed separately before it becomes part of a final blend.
Reported red-wine cellar work includes fermentation in cement vats and stainless-steel tanks, followed by malolactic fermentation in barrel. A historical account describes about 22 months of barrel maturation with 65% new French oak. In practice, the Estate Cabernet’s cassis, violet and lead-pencil character is met by grainy tannin and oak-derived structure, rather than being reduced to sweet wood flavour.
Wines to know
The range in view
Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is the estate-focused red. In 2021 it was 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. Cabernet supplies cassis, black and red fruit and firm tannin; Cabernet Franc brings violet and aromatic lift; Petit Verdot contributes colour and depth. The result is layered, savoury and built around a long finish.
Lyndenhurst Cabernet Sauvignon is the more expansive Napa Valley blend. Its 2021 composition was 79.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10.6% Merlot, 3.8% Petit Verdot, 3.5% Cabernet Franc and 2.9% Malbec. Merlot and Malbec round out Cabernet’s grip with darker fruit and a broader mid-palate, while lively acidity keeps the wine moving.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
Start with the 2021 Lyndenhurst Cabernet Sauvignon. It is a Napa Valley blend built around Spottswoode estate fruit, with Cabernet Sauvignon joined by Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. Vibrant fruit arrives first, then energetic acidity and fine-grained tannin, so its dry, layered palate can be understood without waiting through the Estate Cabernet’s longer ageing arc. It also makes the useful comparison clear: this is the wider Napa Valley expression before moving to the estate-focused bottle.