ARTISAN WINE

SULLIVAN VINEYARDS · RUTHERFORD · NAPA VALLEY · 2021

94 Points. Rutherford's Finest.
From the Vintage of a Generation.
26 Bottles Left at Artisan.

Sullivan Vineyards sits on Galleron Road in the heart of Rutherford — Caymus across the way, Staglin down the road, Hall, Beaulieu, and Cakebread all around. Their Coeur de Vigne is rarely available outside the mailing list. We have 26 bottles. We don't expect them to last.

Winery Price: $120.00

$89.97

PER BOTTLE · 25% OFF WINERY PRICE

Only 26 Bottles · Artisan.Wine · Ships Nationwide

WHY THIS WINE IS EXTRAORDINARY

We've Had a Relationship with Sullivan for 15 Years.
It Doesn't Result in an Allocation Every Vintage.

Their tiny production is usually devoured by their mailing list. But when we do get a call, it ends up being one of the best California Cabernet deals going. And it ends up going fast. That's what we expect from the 26 bottles we have left of Sullivan's 2021 Coeur de Vigne.

Grown in the vintage of a generation and aged untouched in the Sullivan cellars, this is a velveteen stunner raised solely at the Sullivan estate. It's drinking in its prime right now — blossoming with dark fruit, leather and cigar tobacco, allspice and mocha. Wine Spectator ranked it #75 in their Top 100 of 2024. Wine Enthusiast gave it 94. Four critics. Zero disagreement.

We invite you to put it up against neighboring wines that go for two times the price. Once you do, you'll know why Sullivan causes a stir every time we offer it.

THE VINTAGE

2021: Napa's Greatest Vintage
in a Generation

After the devastating 2020 season — when wildfires forced many producers to forgo red wine entirely — 2021 arrived as an answer to prayer. Cool nights, steady sunshine, no heat spikes, and historic drought conditions produced small, intensely concentrated berries that critics now call a once-in-a-generation event.

James Suckling calls 2021 an "apex vintage" and a "redemption year" — urging collectors to commit now because of the small quantity available. Jeb Dunnuck declared it "truly exceptional." Vinous found the wines "aromatic, refined and wonderfully expressive." The Napa Valley Vintners' one-line summary: "The joy is back."

Sullivan was built for this vintage. Dry-farmed at the Rutherford Bench since the 1970s, their vines have never known irrigation. Drought isn't a crisis for these roots — it's what they were born for.

SIX REASONS TO ACT NOW

Why These 26 Bottles Will Not Last

THE INSIDER VERDICT — 15 YEARS IN THE MAKING

When Sullivan Calls with an Allocation,
We Pick Up on the First Ring.

We've had a relationship with Sullivan for 15 years. It doesn't result in an allocation every vintage — not even close. Their tiny production is usually devoured by their mailing list before we even have a conversation. But when we do get the call, it ends up being one of the best California Cabernet deals going. And it ends up going fast.

Sullivan sits just off Highway 29. With Caymus just across the way, Staglin down the road, and Hall, Beaulieu Vineyard, and Cakebread all around — this is the Rutherford Bench at its best, home to some of the Napa Valley's greatest Cabernet Sauvignons. And at $89.97, it's the most accessible address on the block.

THE RUTHERFORD BENCH — YOUR NEIGHBORS

Sullivan's Address Is One of Napa's Most Coveted.

Every wine on this block is world-class. Sullivan is the one available at a fraction of the price.

All of these are extraordinary Rutherford Bench Cabernets. All available at Artisan.Wine.
The Sullivan Coeur de Vigne delivers the same address at a fraction of the price.

THE RESTAURANT PERSPECTIVE

Rutherford Bench Cabernet at Restaurant Pricing

THE ESTATE — RUTHERFORD'S ORIGINAL

André Tchelistcheff Said It Best: "It Takes Rutherford Dust to Grow Great Cabernet."

James Sullivan purchased his 26-acre property from the Galleron family — the estate sits on Galleron Road — partially on the advice of the legendary Russian-American viticulturist André Tchelistcheff, Napa's most influential winemaking mentor and the man who transformed Beaulieu Vineyard into a world-class estate. Tchelistcheff's faith in Rutherford dust was not metaphor. It was conviction, earned across decades of tasting its wines. Sullivan listened.

For 40 years, Sullivan helped establish Rutherford as one of Napa's brightest lights. In 2016, Juan Pablo Torres-Padilla acquired the historic property, raising its profile while building on Sullivan's legacy of quality, elegance, and depth. The estate sits just off Highway 29, with Caymus directly across the way — and the same Rutherford Bench soils underfoot.

What makes the Sullivan property singular is its geological diversity. The parcel contains fully half of the soil types found across the entire Napa Valley — an extraordinary concentration for a 26-acre estate. Different varieties planted in different soils. Different expressions of the same block. All blended into one wine.

THE WINE — COEUR DE VIGNE

A True Estate Bordeaux Blend. Every Vine on the Sullivan Property.

Coeur de Vigne — "Heart of the Vine" — is the purest expression of what Sullivan's 26 acres can produce. The blend draws on every variety grown on the estate: Cabernet Sauvignon dominates, with Merlot for mid-palate plushness, Cabernet Franc for aromatics and structure, and Petit Verdot for color and grip. It is a Bordeaux blend in the truest sense — each variety pulling its weight, none dominating, all in service of the wine.

The 2021 was aged in 60% new French oak — enough to provide structure and depth without overwhelming the fruit. Wine Spectator called it "very Rutherford" — that particular combination of cassis purity, savory iron, and cut that defines the appellation at its best. 26 bottles remain at Artisan. $89.97. That's it.

ALSO FROM SULLIVAN — WHILE IT LASTS

100% Merlot Rosé. 100% Rutherford Grapes.
360 Cases Made. Unheard Of.

The Sullivan Rutherford Rosé 2023 is not a pink wine made from leftover juice. It is a deliberate, estate-grown statement — 100% Merlot, sourced entirely from Sullivan's Rutherford Bench vines, made with the same exacting intention the estate brings to its Bordeaux reds. Only 360 cases were produced. That number is not a typo.

A single-varietal Rutherford Merlot rosé with 360 cases of production is, in practical terms, a unicorn. This is the kind of wine that sells out before most people know it exists. Serious rosé from a serious Napa estate, at a price that makes it the most giftable bottle we have in the store right now.

PERFECT PAIRINGS

What to Serve with This Wine

A full-bodied Cabernet-dominant blend with plush tannins, cassis, and savory iron demands an equally confident table.

CELLARING POTENTIAL

How Long Can You Age This Wine?

Four critics. Two dozen years of runway. One conclusion: this is built to last.

Open a bottle now to enjoy the wine in its prime. Cellar the rest through 2038 as the tannins integrate and the fruit deepens into something extraordinary.

CRITICAL CONSENSUS — FOUR PUBLICATIONS. ONE CONCLUSION.

WS 94 · WE 94 · JS 92 · TWI 92. The Critics Agree: This Is Rutherford at Its Best.

TWO QUESTIONS SERIOUS COLLECTORS ASK

Q: How does this compare to the big Rutherford names at $150–$250?

Rutherford Bench soil is Rutherford Bench soil. The geological DNA that makes Caymus, Staglin, and Beaulieu famous runs under the Sullivan property too. Wine Spectator called the 2021 Coeur de Vigne "very Rutherford" — their shorthand for exactly that combination of cassis purity, iron minerality, and cut that defines the appellation's greatest Cabernets. At $89.97, you are not buying a discounted approximation of what your neighbors make. You are buying the same address, the same vintage, the same appellation — at a fraction of the price.

Q: Why can we get this when most people can't?

Fifteen years of relationship-building. Sullivan's production — just 2,600 cases worldwide — goes almost entirely to their mailing list. We have an occasional allocation because we've been partners for a decade and a half. This is not a wine you find on a shelf. It's a wine that finds you — if you're in the right place at the right time. Right now, you are.

⚠ ONLY 26 BOTTLES REMAINING AT ARTISAN

SULLIVAN VINEYARDS COEUR DE VIGNE 2021 · WS 94 · WE 94 · JS 92 · TWI 92

The Case for Acting Now

26 bottles. $89.97. Twenty-five percent off winery price. Rutherford Bench. Vintage of a generation. Mailing list wine you can actually get. This is the call we waited 15 years to make.

When these bottles are gone, the 2021 Coeur de Vigne is gone. We don't know when — or if — we'll see this allocation again.

Winery Price: $120.00

$89.97

25% OFF WINERY PRICE

Cheers,
— James Tran
Artisan Wine & Spirits · sales@artisan.wine · Text 650-880-3553 · Call 650-917-8080

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