Press & Reviews
2023 Lightning Bolt | 97 PointsJan 2026The 2023 Lightning Bolt Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, a barrel selection of the six best barrels. Deep garnet-purple in color, notes of juicy plums, boysenberries, and blackcurrant jelly leap from the glass, opening out to underlying lavender, dried mint, crushed rocks, and hints of fallen leaves. The full-bodied palate is straight-laced with a lot of gravitas, featuring savory-laced black fruit layers and a firm, grainy texture, finishing with lots of freshness and energy.
— Lisa Perrotti-Brown
2023 Cabernet Sauvignon | 96 PointsJan 2026The 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it gallops out with powerful notes of juicy plums and cassis, giving way to hints of Provence herbs, pencil shavings, and black olives, plus a touch of iron ore. The full-bodied palate is tight-knit and intense, framed by very firm, grainy tannins and fantastic tension, finishing long and ferrous.
— Lisa Perrotti-Brown
2023 Pinot Noir | 95 PointsJan 2026The 2023 Pinot Noir sports a medium ruby-purple color. It erupts from the glass with powerful scents of juicy black cherries, wild blueberries, and pomegranate, followed by hints of violets, underbrush, spearmint, and wild thyme. The full-bodied palate is silky and crisp, delivering decadent black and blue fruit layers, finishing with a lingering mintiness.
— Lisa Perrotti-Brown
2024 Sauvignon Blanc | 95 PointsJan 2026The 2024 Sauvignon Blanc skyrockets out of the glass with notes of passion fruit and pink grapefruit, followed by an undercurrent of white peaches, elderflower, and lime leaves with a waft of sea spray. The medium to full-bodied palate bursts with bold tropical and citrus flavors, supported by a crisp backbone and decadently satiny texture, with a very long finish.
— Lisa Perrotti-Brown
2023 Cuvee 37.2 | 94 PointsJan 2026The 2023 Cuvee 37.2 is a blend of 50% Cabernet Franc, 12% Merlot, 28% Petit Verdot, and 10% Malbec. Deep garnet-purple in color, it bursts with bold notes of plum preserves, juicy blackberries, and licorice, followed by hints of dark chocolate, licorice, and camphor. The full-bodied palate has an alluring savoriness with firm, grainy tannins and wonderful freshness, finishing long and earthy.
— Lisa Perrotti-Brown
2023 Lightning Bolt | 95 PointsNov 2025The 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Lightning Bolt is a six-barrel blend from vineyards in Atlas Peak. Inky red/purplish fruit, lavender, rose petal, mint, and blood orange stain the palate. Deep and expansive, this mid-weight yet voluptuous Cabernet checks all the boxes. Coup de Foudre's top wine is especially fine in 2023.
— Antonio Galloni
2023 Cuvee 37.2 | 94 PointsNov 2025The 2023 Cuvee 37.2 is another fabulous wine from Coup de Foudre. Cabernet Franc drives the blend in this potent, virile red. Crushed flowers, mocha, spice, new leather and blood orange build nicely as this sumptuous, racy blend shows off its considerable charms.
— Antonio Galloni
2023 Pinot Noir | 94 PointsNov 2025The 2023 Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast) is bold, juicy and explosive right out of the gate. A burst of dark red cherry/plum fruit, crushed flowers and cedar makes a strong opening statement. This is an especially fine vintage for the Coup de Foudre Pinot Noir.
— Antonio Galloni
2024 Sauvignon Blanc | 91 PointsNov 2025The 2024 Sauvignon Blanc is a very pretty and expressive white. Airy, gracious and aromatic, the 2024 offers up a gorgeous range of citrus, sage, mint, white pepper and tomato leaf flavors, with lovely mid-palate richness and terrific balance. It's a very versatile wine, one that will work quite well either as an aperitif or alongside lighter fare.
— Antonio Galloni
2023 Lightning Bolt | 93 PointsOctober 2025From a plot in Calistoga, Coup de Foudre's 2024 Sauvignon Blanc was entirely fermented in concrete egg, then aged a further three months in neutral oak prior to bottling to enrich the mid-palate. Scents of gooseberries are backed by hints of nectarine and fig on the nose, while the medium- to full-bodied palate is plump and silky, with a long, mouthwatering finish. — Joe Czerwinski
2023 Cabernet Sauvignon | 94 PointsOctober 2025A six-barrel selection from an Atlas Peak vineyard at 1,600 feet above sea level, Coup de Founder's 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Lightning Bolt is a muscular, full-bodied wine. Rich and concentrated, it's loaded with black cherries and some slightly tarry notes while being tannic and long—even a bit chewy. Give it several years in the cellar. — Joe Czerwinski
2023 Cuvée 37.2 | 93 PointsOctober 2025The cooler temperatures seemed to benefit the Calistoga source of Coup de Foudre's 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon. Dominated by ripe cherries, it still has some of the herbal streaks found in the 2022 but fewer of them, morphing them into attractive tomato or tobacco-leaf nuances. It's full-bodied and reasonably silky in feel, with ample length and a dusting of fine-grained tannins on the finish. — Joe Czerwinski
2023 Pinot Noir | 92 PointsOctober 2025A blend of 50% Cabernet Franc, 28% Petit Verdot, 12% Merlot and 10% Malbec, the 2023 Red Wine Cuvée 37.2 is so much better than the 2022 version. Black cherries, loam, blackberries and plums all feature on the nose, while the full-bodied palate is rich and reasonably tannic but ripe and velvety. Now, if only the finish were longer... It's still an excellent value in a big Napa red. — Joe Czerwinski
2023 Pinot Noir | 95 Points Aug 2025So rich, full and delicious yet structured and well balanced. A great blend of dark plums, black cherries, sauteed mushrooms, star anise and forest floor. It really captures the complexity and nuances of this grape variety in a cool growing region. Drink now or hold.— Jim Gordon
2024 Sauvignon Blanc | 93 Points Aug 2025A brilliant, textural and appetizing white that's alive in pink grapefruit flavors and zesty acidity. Fresh, tangy, mineral, slightly chalky and appealing on the palate and in the finish. Medium-bodied, mouthwatering and delicious. Drink now. — Jim Gordon
2023 Cabernet Sauvignon | 94 Points Aug 2025A firm, structured and intense red with potent black fruits wrapped in muscular tannins. Iron, floral, black-cherry and star-anise flavors. Very focused and powerful yet poised, ready for extended aging for those with patience. Drinkable now and best from 2030. — Jim Gordon
2023 Lightning Bolt | 96 PointsAug 2025A fruit-forward blend of Rhone grape varieties and Bordeaux reds from the Calistoga AVA, with light tannins wrapping up vivid, rather crisp red fruit and a lightly tannic mouthfeel. The grapes are grenache, petit verdot, merlot, syrah and cabernet franc. Full-bodied but balanced. Drink or hold. — Jim Gordon
2023 Cuvée 37.2 | 94 PointsAug 2025A powerful but sleek red that's so concentrated and focused, yet polished and satiny in texture. Rich, fine-grained tannins support black cherries, blackcurrants, iron, flowers and a hint of black-olive flavor. A serious, structured wine that needs a steak to pair with, or more years in the bottle to mature. Drinkable now and best from 2030. — Jim Gordon
2023 Sauvignon Blanc | 94 PointsFeb 2025Leaps from the glass with vibrant notes of fresh grapefruit, lime leaves, and crunchy pears, plus hints of wild thyme and wet pebbles. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a seductively satiny texture with a racy backbone cutting through the intense citrus flavors, finishing long and zesty. — Lisa Perrotti-Brown
2022 Cabernet Sauvignon | 94 PointsFeb 2025Deep garnet-purple in color, notes of crushed blackberries, cassis, and juicy plums jump from the glass, leading to touches of graphite, lavender, and underbrush. The full-bodied palate is light on its feet with bright black berry flavors and a firm grainy texture, finishing with a refreshing lift. — Lisa Perrotti-Brown
2022 Cuvee 37.2 | 94 PointsFeb 2025Deep garnet-purple in color, it slowly emerges with a gorgeous perfume of kirsch, violets, and wild blueberries, opening out to a core of red currant jelly and kirsch plus a hint of pencil shavings. The medium to full-bodied palate is tightly wound with red and black berry layers, supported by grainy tannins and bold freshness, finishing on a minerally note. — Lisa Perrotti-Brown
2022 Lightening Bolt | 95 PointsFeb 2025Deep garnet-purple in color, it bursts with notes of black currant cordial, black raspberries, and plum preserves, followed by hints of cedar chest, crushed rocks, charcoal, and dried bay leaves. The full-bodied palate is a little oak dominant at the moment, with firm, chewy tannins and bright acidity supporting the tightly wound black fruit layers, finishing long and savory. — Lisa Perrotti-Brown
2023 Pinot Noir | 94 PointsDec 2024The 2023 Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast) is terrific. Bright red/purplish fruit, blood orange, spice, sage and mint all race across the palate. Floral and savory overtones lift the finish. This Sonoma Coast Pinot is a total delight. — Antonio Galloni
2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Lightning Bolt | 94 PointsDec 2024The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Lightning Bolt is a dark, brooding offering from Coup de Foudre. Like all the wines in this range, it is on the lighter side, yet all the elements are well balanced. Macerated cherry, plum, gravel, lavender and rose petal build in the glass. The tannins could use time to soften, but this is very nicely done, especially within the context of the year. — Antonio Galloni
2022 Les Bouquinistes | 93 PointsDec 2024The 2022 Les Bouquinistes is a gorgeous Grenache/Petit Verdot/Merlot-based blend from John Schwartz. Pliant, deep and expressive, the 2022 has so much to offer. A burst of red-toned fruit, lavender, rose petal, menthol and dried herbs builds in a deep, resonant red. This is beautifully done. — Antonio Galloni
2023 Sauvignon Blanc | 91 PointsOctober 2024There are just 220 cases of the 2023 Sauvignon Blanc, a ripe, tropical style that seems appropriate to the wine's Calistoga origins. Guava and nectarine notes mark the nose, while the medium to full-bodied palate is plump, well-rounded and generous, with a silky, almost sweet-tasting finish. — Robert Parker
2023 Pinot Noir | 91 PointsOctober 2024Not yet bottled, the 2023 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast comes from a King Ridge site. Delicate florals and red berries—cherries and strawberries—appear on the nose, while the medium to full-bodied palate is rounded and supple, and the lingering finish shows a touch of warmth. — Robert Parker
2022 Les Bouquinistes | 92 PointsOctober 2024A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, the 2022 Red Wine Les Bouquinistes is a plump, medium to full-bodied wine loaded with blackberries and cassis. Hints of vanilla, licorice and cedar add nuance, while bright acids and supple tannins provide enough structural framework to hold the fruit in place. — Robert Parker
2022 Cabernet Sauvignon | 93 Points Aug 2024An excellent, solid-quality Napa cab that’s nicely rich in fruit flavors braced by a full body and moderate tannins. A silky texture, with red and black cherries and blackcurrants. It’s appetizing and linear with great balance. Drink or hold. — James Suckling
2022 Les Bouquinistes | 92 PointsAug 2024A fruit-forward blend of Rhone grape varieties and Bordeaux reds from the Calistoga AVA, with light tannins wrapping up vivid, rather crisp red fruit and a lightly tannic mouthfeel. The grapes are grenache, petit verdot, merlot, syrah and cabernet franc. Full-bodied but balanced. Drink or hold. — James Suckling
2022 Cuvée 37.2 | 94 PointsAug 2024Full-bodied but agile in acidity and moderate tannins, packed with crisp red and black fruit. Red cherries, blueberries and zesty spearmint are shaped by 60% new barrels without adding a lot of oak spices. It’s subtle, fresh and linear. 45% merlot, 25% petit verdot, 15% cabernet franc and 15% malbec. Drink or hold. — James Suckling
