Houyi Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
⏳ Drinking Window
Typically best enjoyed 5–20 years from the vintage release.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Grilled ribeye steak, roasted rack of lamb, braised beef short ribs
✨ Technical Specifications
Perched high on the prestigious slopes of Pritchard Hill, the Houyi Vineyard is named after the mythical Chinese archer who saved the Earth by shooting down nine of the ten suns. This legendary connection is beautifully reflected in the vineyard's terroir, which sits high above the fog line and receives intense, unobstructed California sunlight. The soils here are a dramatic, iron-rich red volcanic clay littered with heavy basalt rock, forcing the vines to struggle for survival. Winemaker Russell Bevan coaxes incredible concentration and opulent textures from these low-yielding mountain vines. Through meticulous berry selection and aging in custom-toasted French oak barrels, this Cabernet Sauvignon emerges as a tour de force of power and velvety luxury, capturing the rugged elegance of Pritchard Hill.
🍾 About the Producer
Bevan Cellars was founded in 2005 by self-taught winemaker Russell Bevan, quickly ascending to cult status within California's fine wine landscape. Celebrated for an unabashedly opulent, hedonistic, and precision-driven winemaking style, Bevan partners with premier growers across premier microclimates in Napa Valley and Sonoma County. Sourcing spans esteemed terroirs such as eastern Oakville's red volcanic and alluvial soils at Tench Vineyard, the rocky slopes of Sugarloaf Mountain, and cool maritime sites in the Russian River Valley and Petaluma Gap. Viticulture emphasizes meticulous canopy control and sustainable vineyard management, harvesting fruit at optimal physiological ripeness. In the cellar, Bevan employs minimal intervention, indigenous fermentations, squeaky-clean sorting regimens, and customized French oak aging. Benchmark bottlings include his single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons such as Tench Vineyard and Sugarloaf Mountain, proprietary red blends like Ontogeny and EE, alongside textural, vibrant Sonoma Coast Chardonnays and Ritchie Vineyard expressions.
🍇 Grapes
Cabernet Sauvignon