Philip Holbrook is part of a wave of energetic and talented winemakers is crafting exciting, delicious wines that are not only approachable in their youth but have excellent aging potential. Owner and winemaker of Revik Wine Company, Philip spent his childhood in Napa Valley’s grape growing and winemaking ecosphere and today, at just 33 years old, he crafts stunning expressions of singular sites throughout Napa and Sonoma. The name Revik is a portmanteau of “revel” and “vik,” an old Alaskan word translating to “time and place,” forming the meaning “a celebration of time and place.” Philip makes exceptional California wines that uniquely speak to their origins and vintage; they are indeed celebratory snapshots of time and place.

This is the debut vintage of Revik’s Cabernet Sauvignon from Lilac Vineyard: a tiny, two-acre organically-farmed St. Helena vineyard planted in 2005. Fermented in stainless steel with native yeasts, the wine was aged in French oak for 18 months (50% new). Deep ruby red in color, this Cabernet offers a bountiful bouquet of ripe, dark fruits kissed with spice and a touch of cedar. The palate is lush and welcoming, offering an abundance of blackberry, cassis and spiced cherry preserves intertwined with light notes of dried herbs and vanilla. This wine is well-structured, yet sensuous, with silky tannins and a delicate acidity that help ferry you to a seamless finish that lasts for miles. Incredibly approachable in its youth, Revik’s Lilac Vineyard Cabernet has the bones to age for the next ten years in a proper cellar.