RIV · Stags Leap District · 2021
2021 RIV Cabernet Sauvignon, Stags Leap District 3-Pack
A place on the list
Alicia Regusci Hardin's door on Stags Leap: Blocks 1 and 3, volcanic hillside meeting old alluvial soil, fruit TRB and Matt Hardin picked for opulence with enough freshness to stay in the glass. 96+ Jeb Dunnuck. $100 NET the three-pack.
Winery SRP $100 per bottle
One-case minimum unless a bulk break is shown at checkout. Partner price is the JS Selections offer, not a required resale price.
Why this bottle belongs on the list
Two selling points.
Then the market.
96+ Jeb Dunnuck on this vintage.
Dunnuck, 2/20/2024: a tiny six-barrel Stags Leap selection from Thomas Rivers Brown — redcurrant, cassis, floral and mineral smoke, tannin, freshness. Hide 5–7 years; drink over the following two decades.
Her name. Their hillside.
Alicia grew up on this ranch. RIV is her mark on Stags Leap: Blocks 1 and 3, the same volcanic-to-alluvial ground the family has farmed for generations, read by Thomas Rivers Brown and Matt Hardin.
Professional scores
What the press wrote on this vintage.
96+ Jeb Dunnuck · Jeb Dunnuck · 2/20/2024: Made by Thomas Rivers Brown, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Regusci Vineyard is a tiny six-barrel selection from a vineyard in Stags Leap. It's a quintessential expression of this District with its more red and blue fruits (redcurrants, cassis) as well as tons of floral and mineral, smoky nuances. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has plenty of tannins, flawless overall balance, and a terrific sense of freshness and vibrancy that makes this wine so compelling. Hide bottles for 5-7 years and enjoy over the following two decades.
Named critic score on this vintage. These are press ratings, not the Wine-Searcher aggregate.
The buyer's perspective
What the guest
hears first.
The 2021 is $100 NET, three bottles, no extra ladder. Staff line: Alicia Regusci Hardin, 96+ Dunnuck, Stags Leap. Pour it with a strip steak.
Founder's corner
Stags Leap District farming line · RIV
Alicia
Regusci Hardin
Alicia grew up on the Regusci ranch in Stags Leap District. RIV is her door: not Four Doors, not Matthew Wallace, her name on Blocks 1 and 3.
Thomas Rivers Brown and Matt Hardin picked the fruit for opulence with enough freshness to stay in the glass — the same farming line that runs through Four Doors and Hardin Ranch, pointed at her cuvée.
The unit is a 3-pack so the wine can be placed without a full-case commitment. $100 NET. That is the whole commercial idea.
Blocks 1 and 3
Volcanic hillside.
Old alluvial soil.
Stags Leap.
Stags Leap District Cabernet is rock, loam, warm afternoons, and marine air. RIV takes that signature from Blocks 1 and 3 and bottles it under Alicia's mark.
The same ranch as Four Doors. A different door. The 2021 should be read as SLD Cabernet from Regusci ground — black fruit, polished tannin, enough freshness to stay in the glass.
This is not a 12-pack. The unit is three bottles at $100 NET.
2021 in the glass
Black fruit.
Polished tannin.
SLD lift.
Stags Leap Cabernet from Regusci ground: black fruit, polished tannin, and enough freshness to stay in the glass. Not a monument and not a supermarket red. A three-pack so a steak program can put Alicia's name on the list without a trophy case.
Menu and service
Built for a serious table.
- New York strip
- Short ribs
- Rosemary lamb
Serve in a proper stem. Taste on opening and give the wine air if the structure asks for it.
Staff pairing clip
Every Way to Cook Steak (34 Ways)
The tableside introduction
“RIV, Alicia Regusci Hardin, Stags Leap Blocks 1 and 3. 96+ Jeb Dunnuck. $100 the three-pack. Pour it with a strip steak.”
Order the case
Alicia Regusci Hardin.
Blocks 1 and 3.
$100 NET. Three bottles. No extra ladder.
One-case minimum unless a bulk break is shown at checkout. Partner price is the JS Selections offer, not a required resale price.
