One overlooked grape taught us everything about the other four.
Decades 5 was born from an obsession with Petit Verdot, the overlooked fifth Bordeaux varietal, blended away by nearly everyone else, bottled on its own by almost no one. We set out to change that.
That singular focus taught us something: when you stop treating a grape as a supporting player and give it the full stage, you find out what it's actually capable of. The same is true of the other four.
We're now doing what Bordeaux has always done: growing all five. Petit Verdot. Cabernet Sauvignon. Malbec. Cabernet Franc. Merlot. Not as a blend, not as a portfolio strategy, but as a study in what Napa Valley's most expressive terroir can draw out of each one.
Decades, not vintages.
Good wine asks for time: to grow, to make, to understand. We're building something meant to be measured in decades. We hope you'll follow along.
Current Release
Decades 5 Cabernet Sauvignon 2023
Our first Cabernet Sauvignon is a straightforward declaration of place and vintage. The 2023 season in Napa was one of balance, and the wine reflects it: lush, layered fruit held in check by a spine of natural acidity that gives it both energy and longevity. It is rich without being heavy, confident without being loud.
The 2023 growing season unfolded the way great vintages do, slowly and without interruption. Extended hang time allowed the fruit to develop fully while the valley's natural acidity remained intact, producing grapes that arrived at harvest with everything in its right place. What we made from them required very little intervention, which is exactly how we prefer it. This is Napa Valley doing what it does best, and our job was simply to get out of the way.
Press
Decades 5 Petit Verdot 2017
“Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2017 Petit Verdot, from the Stagecoach vineyard, comes rolling out of the glass with intense blackberry preserves, blueberry pie and prunes notions followed by suggestions of Chinese five spice, cracked black pepper and tilled earth with tree bark and sautéed herbs hints. The full-bodied palate is built like a brick house with a solid core of muscular black and blue fruit and firm tannins, finishing long and spicy.”
93
— ROBERT PARKER'S WINE ADVOCATE
Decades 5 Petit Verdot 2012
“2012 Decades 5 exhibits beautiful sweetness, lots of blueberry and blackberry fruit as well as white flower aromas, a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel and surprisingly ripe, sweet tannin. Perhaps there is some magic in the Stagecoach Vineyard when it comes to this varietal. This impressive effort is a tour de force in Petit Verdot”
93+
— ROBERT PARKER'S WINE ADVOCATE
Contact
(707) 307-3951
Info@Decades5.com