To Kalon Vineyard Co. Eliza's Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

To Kalon Vineyard Co. Eliza's Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 is a 750ml, 14.5% ABV Cabernet Franc-led red blend from Oakville in Napa Valley. This wine earned a perfect 100-point score from James Suckling and 99 points from Jeb Dunnuck, placing it among the highest-rated releases from one of Napa's most storied vineyard sites.

Quick Facts: ABV: 14.5%  |  Origin: Oakville, Napa Valley, California  |  Vintage: 2019  |  Producer: To Kalon Vineyard Company

Production & Heritage

Despite its label designation, Eliza's is composed of 55% Cabernet Franc and 45% Cabernet Sauvignon — an unusual inversion for Napa Valley, where Cabernet Sauvignon typically dominates. The wine is named after Eliza Yount, one of Napa's most prominent early pioneers, who was the widow of Yountville's founder and a one-time owner of a quiet corner of the To Kalon Vineyard along Walnut Lane — the site now home to the estate's prized Cabernet Franc plantings. Aged in 100% new oak, Eliza's represents a singular expression of place, drawing its identity from old-vine Cabernet Franc rather than the Cabernet Sauvignon that defines most Oakville bottlings.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: The nose opens with a plume of warmed cassis and plum compote before revealing layers of violet, lead-pencil shavings, and dried flowers. Deeper inhalation introduces sweet tobacco, sassafras, and apple wood smoke.

Taste: The entry is dense and polished, delivering concentrated black cherry and currant fruit framed by fine-grained tannins that fan evenly across the palate. At mid-palate, dark chocolate and savory herbal notes emerge, joined by anise and a subtle graphite minerality. There is an attractive airiness to the silky mouthfeel that belies the wine's full-bodied structure.

Finish: The finish is exceptionally long, carrying delicate tea-like shadings and licorice alongside lingering cassis and cedar. Fine tannins persist without gripping, leaving a refined, aromatic echo that sustains for minutes.

How to Drink Eliza's 2019

This wine is best served at 62–65°F in a large-bowled Bordeaux glass after a 60- to 90-minute decant, which allows the complex aromatics to fully unfold. Drinking neat is the ideal approach — the layered structure and new-oak integration reward undivided attention. Given its stature and Cabernet Franc concentration, Eliza's is not a cocktail wine; it belongs at the dinner table or in quiet contemplation.

Best For

• Celebrating a milestone — a birth year, anniversary, or career achievement worth marking with a 100-point wine
• Gifting a serious Napa Valley collector who already has standard Oakville bottlings
• Anchoring a comparative tasting of Cabernet Franc-forward Napa wines
• Cellaring for long-term aging, given the tannic structure and vintage quality of 2019

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Eliza's 2019 taste like? Eliza's 2019 delivers concentrated black cherry and cassis fruit layered with dark chocolate, sweet tobacco, and graphite, all supported by silky yet structured tannins. Violet and tea-like herbal shadings add aromatic complexity throughout.

How does Eliza's compare to Opus One? Both wines originate from the Oakville appellation, but Eliza's takes a distinctly different approach by leading with Cabernet Franc rather than Cabernet Sauvignon. Eliza's tends toward more floral, herbal complexity and airiness, while Opus One leans on classic Cabernet Sauvignon density and power in its blending philosophy.

Is Eliza's 2019 good for cellaring? Yes — the fine-grained tannin structure, 100% new oak aging, and high critical scores (100 points from James Suckling, 99 from Jeb Dunnuck) suggest excellent aging potential through at least the early 2040s.

Where is Eliza's made? Eliza's is produced by To Kalon Vineyard Company from fruit grown in the historic To Kalon Vineyard in Oakville, Napa Valley, California. The Cabernet Franc sourced for this wine comes specifically from the Walnut Lane block of the estate.

What foods pair well with Eliza's 2019? Grilled lamb chops with rosemary complement the wine's herbal undertones; beef short ribs braised in red wine mirror its richness; aged Comté or Gruyère echo its savory depth; seared duck breast with cherry reduction highlights its dark fruit core; and dark chocolate truffles with sea salt align with the cocoa notes on the mid-palate.

What sizes does Eliza's come in? The standard release is a 750ml bottle.

Is Eliza's 2019 worth the price? Eliza's positions as an ultra-premium, limited-production Napa Valley wine, and its 100-point James Suckling score and 99-point Jeb Dunnuck rating place it in the upper echelon of the 2019 vintage. For collectors seeking a Cabernet Franc-dominant expression from one of California's most legendary vineyard sites, the quality-to-prestige ratio is strong.

Why Eliza's 2019?

What separates Eliza's from virtually every other high-end Oakville wine is its insistence on Cabernet Franc as the majority grape — a decision rooted in the specific terroir of the Walnut Lane block within To Kalon rather than market convention. That gamble paid off: a perfect 100 from James Suckling and 99 from Jeb Dunnuck validate the 2019 vintage as one of the finest expressions this label has produced. The wine's combination of structural elegance, floral lift, and dark-fruited concentration marks a style that stands apart in a region often defined by sheer power. For anyone seeking a Napa Valley wine that rewards careful attention with genuine complexity, Eliza's 2019 delivers a singular sense of place.