More About the Heir Apparent 2017 'Rutherford' Cabernet Sauvignon Some of Napa Valley's most memorable, detailed, and hedonistic Cabernets come from an area of Rutherford known as the Rutherford Bench. The bench is over 150 million years old and contains more than 100 soil variations. Icons Staglin, Inglenook, and Morisoli are all positioned there, and Heir Apparent's 2017 Rutherford Cabernet hails from the Western side of the bench. Heir Apparent is part of Grand Napa Vineyards, and their winery is located in a sweet-spot of Rutherford that sits almost directly across from Peju and not far from Staglin Vineyards. They sourced fruit for their 2017 Rutherford Cabernet from an unnamed site whose Estate wines garner more than $200 per bottle. The 2017 vintage combined 97% Cabernet Sauvignon with 3% Cabernet Franc, and they aged it for around 24 months in barrel. The wine has immense power and beautifully knit and precisely detailed flavors that combine intensity and elegance.