Fortunate Son The Diplomat 2022

Fortunate Son The Diplomat 2022 is a 750ml Napa Valley red blend that earned 97 points from both James Suckling and Decanter. Produced by Jayson Woodbridge—founder of Hundred Acre Winery—this Cabernet-dominant cuvée draws from small, multigenerational family vineyards, some with vines over 80 years old, delivering a wine of unusual depth and polish for its category.

Quick Facts: Origin: Napa Valley, California  |  Vintage: 2022  |  Blend: 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 4% Petite Sirah  |  Aged: 35 Months in 100% New French Oak  |  Producer: Fortunate Son (Jayson Woodbridge)

Production & Heritage

Jayson Woodbridge built his reputation on the cult-status Hundred Acre wines before launching Fortunate Son as a separate label focused on Napa Valley blends sourced from carefully selected family-farmed vineyards. The Diplomat, the flagship expression, combines Cabernet Sauvignon with a generous proportion of Merlot and a small measure of Petite Sirah, then spends 35 months maturing in 100% new French oak barrels. For the 2022 vintage, Woodbridge employed his signature approach of extended hang time on the vine; the season's favorable conditions allowed him to push that practice further than usual, resulting in exceptionally concentrated fruit expression at the core of the wine.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Dark berry fruit opens the nose immediately, layered with graphite, warm cassis, and a subtle streak of stone-driven minerality. Behind that initial wave, rose petal and sweet almond add quiet aromatic lift.

Taste: The entry is bright and focused—Morello cherries, mulberries, and black raspberries—before the mid-palate broadens into hoisin, blackberry pie, and dark cocoa. Ripe strawberry, vanilla bean, and flaky pie-crust notes arrive as the wine opens, all carried by remarkably fine, creamy tannins that keep the texture polished rather than heavy.

Finish: Succulent and very long, with lingering minerality and a cool stone quality that persists well after each sip. The oak integration reads as seamless, leaving sweet spice and dark fruit rather than overt wood influence.

How to Drink The Diplomat

This wine is built for quiet, deliberate attention—pour it neat into a large-bowled glass and let it breathe for 30 to 45 minutes before the first sip. A slight cellar chill around 62–65°F allows the fruit and mineral notes to separate and show individually. While primarily a wine for still, reflective drinking, its structure and depth also make it a commanding base for a Red Wine Reduction Sauce alongside braised short ribs, a glass poured alongside a classic Bordeaux-style cheese board featuring aged Comté, or a bold complement to a dark chocolate dessert pairing where the cocoa notes in the wine mirror the plate.

Best For

• Gifting a serious Napa Valley wine collector who appreciates cult-adjacent producers
• Anchoring a milestone dinner—anniversary, promotion, or retirement celebration
• Adding a high-scoring current-vintage red to a developing cellar
• Pairing with a multi-course steak dinner at home

Frequently Asked Questions

What does The Diplomat 2022 taste like? The dominant profile centers on ripe dark berries—black raspberry, mulberry, and cassis—supported by dark cocoa, vanilla bean, and a cool mineral streak that keeps the wine balanced despite its concentration.

How does The Diplomat compare to other Fortunate Son wines? The Diplomat is the label's flagship blend, distinguished by its higher proportion of Merlot (33%) and extended 35-month new French oak aging, which gives it a creamier, more polished tannin structure than the more Cabernet-forward expressions in the Fortunate Son range.

Is The Diplomat 2022 good for cellaring? Its fine-grained tannins, underlying acidity, and 35 months of new oak aging suggest meaningful cellar potential; wines of this structure and concentration from top Napa producers often develop favorably over 10–15 years, though it is already drinking beautifully on release.

Where is The Diplomat made? The Diplomat is produced in Napa Valley, California, by Jayson Woodbridge, who also founded the acclaimed Hundred Acre Winery. Fruit is sourced from small, family-owned Napa vineyards, some farmed by the same families for three to four generations.

What foods pair well with The Diplomat 2022? Grilled ribeye steak benefits from the wine's tannin and dark fruit; braised lamb shanks mirror its savory hoisin quality; aged hard cheeses like Comté or Gruyère complement its vanilla and cocoa layers; mushroom risotto echoes its earthy mineral streak; and dark chocolate truffles match the wine's cocoa and berry finish.

What sizes does The Diplomat come in? Fortunate Son The Diplomat 2022 is available in the standard 750ml bottle.

Is The Diplomat 2022 worth the price? The Diplomat positions as an ultra-premium Napa Valley red blend, and dual 97-point scores from James Suckling and Decanter place it among the highest-rated wines in its vintage and category, offering strong critical validation relative to its price tier.

Why The Diplomat?

Scoring 97 points from both James Suckling and Decanter—along with 94+ from Jeb Dunnuck—the 2022 vintage stands as one of the most critically lauded releases in the Fortunate Son lineup. The 35-month maturation in entirely new French oak is a commitment few blends at any price point undergo, and the result is a level of tannin integration that reads as effortless. Fruit sourced from old-vine, multigenerational family vineyards in Napa Valley gives the wine a sense of place that mass-sourced bottlings cannot replicate. For collectors and enthusiasts tracking Jayson Woodbridge's growing portfolio beyond Hundred Acre, The Diplomat 2022 represents the clearest evidence that this label has earned its own identity.