New Names, New Wines from Napa

Published April 30, 2021 on vinography.com

Don Dady grew up in Sonoma but eventually made his home in Scottsdale, where he founded the financial firm Annexus. Partnering with former NFL long snapper Jason Kyle of the Seattle Seahawks, Dady purchased the Stags Ridge Vineyard, a rocky plot on Atlas Peak planted in 1999. The two then hired famed winemaker Andy Erickson (of Screaming Eagle, Dalla Valle, Ovid, and Staglin fame, among others) and set out to take a money-is-no-object kind of approach to building a wine label they are calling Seven Apart, including a brand new, state-of-the-art winery and hospitality building that will soon finish construction. As one might expect, there’s a waiting list already.

2018 Seven Apart “Expedition” Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California
Inky, opaque garnet in color, this wine smells of black cherry and tobacco. In the mouth, gorgeous black cherry and plum fruit are juicy with fantastic acidity. Muscular tannins grip the core of fruit as dried herbs and flowers mix with the dark berry licorice that is the core of this wine. Brawny but not overdone, and restrained in its expression of oak. Just a tiny hint of bitter wood on the finish. A blend of 98% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Merlot. 14.1% alcohol. Comes in a massive, 1.78 kg bottle with a cork so long that because of the inset due to a wax cap, a Coravin needle couldn’t go all the way through. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $135.