Hibou Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2021

A murder of crows, a convocation of eagles, a lamentation of swans, a flamboyance of flamingos – no two ways about it…birds definitely have all of my personal favorites when it comes to terms of venery (collective nouns that describe a group of certain animals), but only one is on my mind today…a PARLIAMENT OF OWLS! 

Oh, yes, Hibou is BACK! We’ve been on a bit of a Hibou kick these past few weeks, and if you know, or if you’ve ever tasted a single sip of ANY of the Hibou wines over the years – you’re already loading up your cart! The name stems from the French for owl (pronounced “ee-boo”), and this tiny, husband-and-wife team continues to crush it with thrilling and spectacular wines across their portfolio! Winemaker/owner Jason Driscoll cut his teeth under the rigorous tutelage of folks like Kirk Venge, and David and Katherine DeSante – over years in the cellars at Hunnicut – and wines like this PROVE he was paying attention! We saved my personal favorite for our December kick-off…NAPA CABERNET SAUVIGNON! Over 50% OFF too – hailing from two immaculate vineyards, one in Rutherford and the other in Oakville!  It took more than 5 years for winemaker/owner Jason Driscoll to lock down this fruit – and all of his skills as a professionally-trained chef – to woo the vineyard owners to his cause. 100% cabernet sauvignon is the happy result, and while 2021 Napa cabs are just now trickling out into the world – if you don’t already have insider info about this vintage…GET PUMPED!

Master of Wine and former Parker protege, Lisa Perrotti-Brown, has this to say about the INCREDIBLE 2021 vintage: “I’ve been tasting the newly bottled [2021] wines since August and have thus far found this a consistently great vintage… right up there with Napa’s top vintages of the 21st Century so far… Therefore, I recommend buying whatever you’re offered/can find of the 2021s.” 

Heard, Lisa…heard! Lower than low yields meant TINY productions, but those little clusters that could…MAN! The concentration, the purity, the sheer backbone in this wine…it’s impressive! Hibou opts for a slightly savory, terroir-driven style of cabernet sauvignon that is so much more than flashy oak and ripe fruit. The complexity here is staggering – with spicebox aromas of star anise, and clove, some Saigon cinnamon, with roasted thyme and sage, dusty tobacco notes, with a kiss of cocoa powder… WOWEE! A solid and structured, juicy and plush core of fruit envelopes all – blackberries, black plums, Morello cherries, mulberries…my teeth are turning purple just writing this! (Or maybe it’s because I’ve already refilled my glass?) Anywho…a judicious 30% of new French oak offers the perfect framework for this – just another layer on this perfect little Matryoshka doll of a wine! The perfect “either-or” wine – cellar or serve, and either way, you’ll be absolutely blown away!

We don’t have much – not even really enough for an offer, to be honest – but I’m soooo stoked on this wine…heck, we all are…we simply NEEDED to share it with you. Over 50% OFF Napa cab, good people! While it lasts!