Showket Vineyard Alexis Cuvee Merlot
⏳ Drinking Window
Typically best enjoyed 10 to 20 years from the vintage release, though its exceptionally plush texture makes it highly appealing in its youth.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
roasted duck, grilled ribeye steak, braised short ribs
✨ Technical Specifications
The Showket Vineyard, nestled on the eastern hillsides of Oakville in the Napa Valley, is legendary for its iron-rich, red volcanic soils, sharing a prestigious terroir with neighboring icon Dalla Valle. Before the vineyard was sold to Peter Michael Winery in 2009, Russell Bevan sourced exceptional fruit from this site to craft the Alexis Cuvee—named in honor of the Showket family's daughter. This wine is a masterclass in Oakville opulence, showcasing the decadent, plush textures and intense black fruit characteristics that define Bevan's signature style. Utilizing meticulous vineyard sorting and aging in prime French oak, the wine captures the dramatic power, velvety tannins, and vibrant mineral undertones of this historic hillside terroir.
🍾 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.