100-pt. Hundred Acre ARK Cabernet!

WHY BUY: 
Our last Hundred Acre offer sold out in a matter of hours, so we went back to the well for more: we’ve returned with their 100-point ARK Vineyard Cabernet 2022, yet another perfect score for superstar winemaker Jayson Woodbridge. Woodbridge makes statement wines of the highest order — extraordinary expressions, truly, that are absolute musts for any collection — and we're thrilled to have secured 3-packs of that 100-pointer, plus 3-packs of his gorgeous 98-point Morgan's Way Cabernet 2022 and stand-alones of his elegant, 96-point Summer Dreams Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast Golden Hour 2023. We can't wait for you to taste for yourself, and experience the majesty and wonder that all of Woodbridge's OCD-level meticulousness (custom-designed tanks; micro-misters straight from Dutch tulip farms; harvest passes so selective that only one-tenth of the available fruit ends up in the bottle) adds up to. 

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING:
James Suckling was rendered nearly awestruck by the ARK Vineyard Cabernet 2022, a 100-point wine of "very fine tannins and an endless finish” whose "texture leaves me breathless and speechless. Incredible length and depth." He was nearly as enamored of the Morgan's Way Cabernet 2022, a 98-point wine that is both "seductive" and "elegant," with "round and juicy tannins and a long finish with hints of hazelnuts at the end.” Suckling also weighed in on the Summer Dreams Pinot Noir, awarding it 96 points and praising its aromatics ("aromas of smoke, spices and some graphite and dark berries”), palate ("juicy, intense”) and "lovely creamy" finish. 

THE STORY:
A brush with mortality changed everything for Jayson Woodbridge. At 18, he overcame a life-threatening illness, and with it, his perspective on the world shifted; from then on (as he has since said) nothing short of excellence would suffice. The former investment banker from Toronto became a self-taught winemaker whose perfectionism has become the stuff of legend. This absolute drive for something bigger than ordinary human experience translates directly into his wines. Woodbridge will walk through vineyards inspecting each cluster individually. He employs irrigation systems that are far from standard in most wineries; he drew his inspiration from Dutch tulip farms. He's even gone to the step of installing NASA-grade air filtration systems in his cellars. Since 2000, his wines have earned 100-point scores an estimated 60 times — nearly half of those from Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate alone. Is it any wonder that collectors are sent scrambling for bottles every time a new release is announced?

OUR TASTING NOTES:
* There’s only one first time to nose the ARK Vineyard 2022, and we hope you'll take a good long moment to savor it: it’s such an intense and complex experience, with waves of blackberry and cassis so concentrated filling the glass, you’re stunned it’s (only) a liquid inside and not an orchard. But this is a wine that is constantly upping its own ante, and the texture that awaits you is something else, with a silkiness that seems to defy physics, as if Woodbridge somehow figured out how to liquefy velvet. The finish is a thing of its own, building like a symphony, and revealing layers of dark chocolate, espresso, and a touch of mineral that recalls ancient bedrock.
* The Morgan's Way takes a completely different approach to seduction. Picture a dancer with perfect posture, and you’ll have some idea of the structure and finesse on order here. This is a rich and slow-moving experience, with a control that seems almost engineered. A wine to sit, and savor, and contemplate.  
* What the Summer Dreams Golden Hour Pinot shows, above all, is that Woodbridge's obsessive attention to detail works magic beyond Cabernet. The smoke and graphite aromatics immediately signal this isn't your typical California Pinot; there's something almost Burgundian about the restraint, but make no mistake: it delivers pleasure, along with an abundance of elegant grace notes.

THE SPECS:
To spend any amount of time at Hundred Acre is to see what the pinnacle of artisanal winemaking looks like. Woodbridge employs techniques that might seem fanatical and obsessive, but they yield such glorious (and inarguable) results: The ARK Vineyard and Morgan's Way Cabernets undergo berry-by-berry selection, with harvest passes so selective that only about 10% of available fruit makes it into the final blend. Custom-designed fermentation tanks and micro-misting systems borrowed from Dutch tulip farms ensure optimal conditions throughout production. All of his wines are aged in French oak barrels that are hand-selected. 

FUN FACT:
The name "Hundred Acre” is a Winnie the Pooh allusion, a reference to Pooh's forest home. 

OUR GUARANTEE:
As always, we only buy and source directly from the estate, so rest assured that these wines will arrive in your hands with pristine provenance. Secure your bottles, 3-packs, and cases today!