PLUMPJACK COLLECTION
NAPA VALLEY, CALIFORNIA
WHY BUY: Plumpjack has opened its doors to Concierge — a first in our history — and we're proud to have returned with this stellar haul, including single-estate wines from Odette and CADE, drawn from the best terroirs in all of Napa (Oakville, Stag's Leap, and Howell Mountain) and clocking in at some of the best prices in that much-revered region. Ever since its inception (Gavin Newsom was a founding partner), they've impressed us for making wines that forgo fruit-bomb intensity in favor of balance, soft tannins, and poise. But the great thing is, they still drink BIG, with a heft and fleshy richness that makes them such natural crowd-pleasers. The perfect wines, in other words, to keep on hand for every ordinary occasion and every important event.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: James Suckling swooned over the Odette Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District 2022, praising its “brooding aromas of blackberry compote, licorice, cedar and graphite” in a 95-point rave, and noting its ‘full-bodied” palate with "fine tannins and balanced acidity.” All in all, he concluded, it’s “very well balanced and poised” wine with “a powerful undertone.”
THE STORY: Most Napa wineries start with land and money; PlumpJack started with a wine shop in San Francisco's Cow Hollow neighborhood in 1992. From that humble retail beginning, the founders parlayed their way into acquiring a historic 42-acre Oakville estate in 1995. Which just goes to prove: sometimes the best path to making wine is first learning how to sell it. Named after Shakespeare's lovably bawdy Sir John Falstaff, the operation made headlines by becoming the first Napa Valley winery to use screwcaps on their most expensive wines, even going so far as to charge $10 more for the privilege. But they were soon proved right, and others in the valley eventually followed. Within a decade, their 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon was named Wine of the Year by Wine Enthusiast, more than ratifying their ethos and approach. Noted wine critic John Mariani has long been a fan, and for very specific reasons: “at a time when too many California Cabs were aiming to be massive fruit bombs,” he wrote, they maintained a refreshing "honesty about vintages" and focused sharply on terroir expression. PlumpJack has since expanded to include CADE Estate on Howell Mountain and Odette Estate in Stags Leap District. Sustainable practices are paramount at each, and we can say (and with hopes for the future) that their balanced, age-worthy style would appear to have found the perfect match of vineyard.
OUR TASTING NOTES: PlumpJack appears to have figured out something that eludes most California producers: how to make wines that pack a punch without losing their manners. There's serious concentration across the range, but it's always wrapped in silky tannins that know when to step back. And we love the structure and minerality that speaks to both terroir and artisanal intelligence. The house philosophy becomes clear when you taste through these offerings: balance isn't just a goal, it's something of an obsession. The winemaker, Aaron Miller, crafts wines that offer immediate pleasure while also hinting at evolution to come. Whether it's their estate Cabernet from Oakville's patchwork soils, the Howell Mountain expressions from CADE with their austere mineral spine, or the Stags Leap District bottlings from Odette that channel volcanic intensity, each wine reflects PlumpJack's core belief that power and elegance are not strange bedfellows.
THE SPECS: PlumpJack plays the terroir game with (if you will) three distinct hands: their original 42-acre Oakville estate sits on a geological patchwork (rocky gravel, volcanic nutrients, clay-based loams) that reads like nature's own blending chart. CADE Estate climbs 21 acres up Howell Mountain, where thin soils and high elevation create wines with mineral backbones that could cut glass. Odette Estate sprawls across 45 acres of Stags Leap District volcanic drama, where the soils have been cooking up intensity for millennia. All three properties embrace LEED-certified sustainability, because, yes, you can save the planet and make terrific wine at the same time.
WHAT TO PAIR THEM WITH: The Estate Cabernet all but demands a prime ribeye or a rack of lamb with wild herbs. The Merlot, Syrah, and Petite Syrah work beautifully with roasted duck, grilled and spiced meats, and any mushroom-based dishes, while the Chardonnay works a kind of magic with raw or marinated seafood and risottos.
FUN FACT: In 1940, the Carole Lombard film "They Knew What They Wanted" was filmed, in part, on the PlumpJack property (then called the Fagiani Ranch). Lombard was married to Clark Gable at the time, adding a touch of Golden Age Hollywood glamour to this historic Napa property.
OUR GUARANTEE: As always, we only buy and source our wines directly from the estates, to ensure that they arrive with pristine provenance. Secure your bottles and cases today — with confidence!
*Offer NOT valid in-store. This offer is made pre-arrival, with wines estimated to be delivered to your preferred store in Winter 2025. All sale prices are the lowest available at Total Wine & More and ONLY valid through Concierge Sales. No further discounts or coupons may be applied. The price reflected on your order form is subject to change after the order is placed in the event of a change in tariffs or taxes that are imposed by the U.S. government, or in the case of currency fluctuations of 10% or greater. Offer not valid in KS, MI, NE, NY, OK, & TN. This offer will expire on Sunday, October 5th, 2025.