Mark Neal

Neal Family cab is a Liquid Art classic for many reasons. It is a top quality Napa cab with an impeccable pedigree produced by one of the valley's great winegrowing families, but because the family is not predisposed to pandering to journalists, it tends to be un-reviewed, and therefore has no place in the pantheon of point scores.

What we have here then is a winelover's dream come true: an almost totally under-the-radar wine full of character and class that massively over-delivers price wise. Please DO NOT tell your friends -there will be more for us!

Winegrowers in Napa since 1968, the Neal family farm an astonishing 2,000 acres, from Coombsville to Calistoga.  Since 2001 Mark Neal has used his family's deep cumulative knowledge of Napa terroir to select superior vineyard sites in Howell Mountain, Rutherford, Mount Veeder, Coombsville, Atlas Peak, and St. Helena to produce a 'building block' wine (a la Penfolds Grange)  that he believes best expresses the true character of the  Napa Valley.

Meticulous organic farming produces cabernet grapes with great purity of flavour.  The Neal winemaking style emphasizes balance, integration, and elegance rather than power, evoking the classic wines of Napa's golden era.  The 2007 is old school Napa to the max, combining the telltale aromas of mown hay, cassis, and cedar with ripe tannins and persistence of flavour.  In classic Napa fashion it is irresistibly delicious to drink now, but will only get better with age.