Rombauer Vineyards
2019 Cabernet Sauvignon
"Le Meilleur du Chai"
Napa Valley AVA
Auction 25 | Lot No. 102
Vintage: 2019
Rombauer Vineyards
Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley
5 cases produced
Highlights
- Le Meilleur du Chai (French for “best of the cellar,”) is the finest Cabernet Sauvignon we produce
- Chosen from our best barrel lots of the 2019 vintage, your wine is 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Petit Verdot
- Sourced from our esteemed Atlas Peak and Bennett Lane estate vineyards in the Atlas Peak and Calistoga nested appellations
- Handpicked optically sorted fruit, barrel fermentation, basket pressing and aging 16 months in French oak
Description
It was 1983 when Koerner Rombauer and his winemaker sat down to blend their third vintage of wine. Tasting through the Cabernet Sauvignon lots they realized certain barrels possessed a power and elegance distinct from the rest. They decided to blend and bottle them separately, calling the wine Le Meilleur du Chai, French for “best of the cellar.”
“Le Meilleur du Chai is our no holds barred effort to achieve a wine so good it can stand up to the very finest red wines not only in Napa Valley or California, but in the world,” says Second Generation family member, KR Rombauer. “It’s meant to be a transformative wine, a conversation stopper. It nearly defies description.”
In 2019, one of the finest vintages of the decade in Napa Valley, Winemaker Richie Allen and his team created a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated Bordeaux blend sourced from our esteemed, sustainably-farmed estate vineyards in Napa Valley. With layers of dense black cherry, floral raspberry, lifted black currant, toasty vanilla, and fine-grained tannins, our 2019 Le Meilleur du Chai is poised to provide pleasure and contemplation for years to come.
Richie Allen
Winemaker, Rombauer Vineyards
Richie has worked as a winemaker in his home country of Australia, as well as in New Zealand, and here in the United States at Rombauer. He embraces traditional and cutting-edge practices in the vineyard and cellar to make certain each wine gets the customized attention it needs.
"At Rombauer we start at the vineyard level and work at each site to grow the best grapes possible. The fruit in turn guides the style. To make the best possible wine you can’t force the vineyard to produce a wine it’s not capable of. Understanding each site and its potential has dictated the style. Ripe concentrated wines, with natural balance. The winemaking, while very precise, is somewhat simple. It all revolves around getting the most out of each block and letting the fruit shine. Winemaking is a process of not messing it up. We don’t manufacture quality into the grapes, we just preserve it."
Country born: Australia
Education: Bachelor of Science - Deakin University
Graduate Diploma in Oenology - Adelaide University
Years in the wine industry: 10-15 years
Winemaking Philosophy:
Combining traditional and modern practices in both the vineyards and winery to achieve the truest expression of each varietal possible.
Winebow
4800 Cox Road, Suite 300
Glen Allen VA 23060
804-248-1117
Other Premiere Napa Valley Wines available from Winebow:
| Winery | Vintage | Variety | Appellation | Fanciful | Auction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown Estate Vineyards | 2023 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Chiles Valley District | In Chaos, Order | 29 (2025) |
| Pine Ridge Vineyards | 2023 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Napa Valley | Stags Crown | 29 (2025) |
| Inglenook | 2022 | Red Wine | Rutherford | CXLI | 28 (2024) |
| The Vice | 2021 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Stags Leap District | The Wunderkind | 28 (2024) |
| Frank Family Vineyards | 2019 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Rutherford | Winston Hill Block 5 - Heart Block | 25 (2021) |
| Markham | 2019 | Red Wine | Napa Valley | The Character | 25 (2021) |
| PEJU | 2019 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Rutherford | The Main Event | 25 (2021) |
| Rombauer Vineyards | 2019 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Napa Valley | Le Meilleur du Chai | 25 (2021) |
Winery Distribution
Rombauer Vineyards is distributed in the following markets. Please contact the winery directly for the most up-to-date distribution information and to explore commercial opportunities.
Domestic:
- California (DTC)
International:
- Bulgaria (Bibendum)
- Canada - Alberta (Lanigan and Edwards)
- Canada - British Columbia (The Wine Syndicate)
- Canada - Nova Scotia (Mainbrace)
- Canada - Quebec (Societe Clement)
- Caribbean (Service Innovations)
- Czech Republic (Californian Wines)
- Denmark (Fine Wines ApS)
- Germany (Movenpick)
- Greece (Cava Halari)
- Hong Kong (Jointek)
- Ireland (Solera Wine Merchants)
- Israel (PortoVino)
- Japan (Hotei Wines)
- Kazakhstan (Orange Trading Co.)
- Mexico (ECM)
- New Zealand (Wine Circle)
- Norway (Better Wines)
- Singapore (WineHours)
- South Korea (Wine2U)
- Switzerland (Movenpick)
- United Arab Emirates (MMI)
- United Kingdom (The Humble Grape)