Vision and timing are everything.
If I’ve learned anything over a lifetime spent in vineyards, it’s that timing is everything.
My great grandfather Gaetano bought the Regusci property in 1932, my grandfather Angelo ran the ranch and held onto it through the toughest of times. My dad grew up there with his brothers and sisters, he is the youngest. My dad took over the ranch operations after high school. I have spent decades between its rows. We always knew this piece of prime Stags Leap District land was special, but after I earned a degree in Wine Business and spent time in winemaking, farming, sales, and hospitality, I realized just how special.
As I watched my husband Matt Hardin farm wildly valuable slivers of Napa Valley, as I developed a friendship with winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown, and as I lived in the world of upper-echelon winemaking, I learned something else—the Regusci property still has a story to tell. My story.
The timing couldn’t have been better. We had a top vineyard manager, a coveted winemaker, and a couple carefully selected plots of exceptional terroir. We just needed a connector. By braiding these threads together, I’m crafting my own narrative. Taking something historic and elevating it further. Making a legacy for my three boys. And revealing my family’s land in the way only I can.
Wine Stags Leap District
2021 RIV Cabernet Sauvignon
Drawing dense concentration from an exceptionally dry year in Napa Valley, the 2021 is sultry and powerfully structured without being overbearing. Its brooding, deep violet core belies a freshness on the nose—black cherry, lavender, and vanilla, which reveal depths of black licorice and baking spice with some time in the decanter. Blackberry preserves and bright acidity headline the palate, with flourishes of savory herbs, dark chocolate, warm earth, and bell pepper, all interlaced with plush, fine-grained tannins.
The Vineyard
The RIV 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon comes from two of the Regusci vineyard’s most coveted plots: Block 1 and Block 3. At the foot of the Eastern Hillside, Block 1 is streaked with well-draining volcanic soils and strewn with rocky outcroppings, while Block 3 sits farther down, right at the confluence of volcanic and ancient alluvial soils. Thomas Rivers Brown and Matt Hardin selected these blocks for the remarkable opulence and complexity of their wines, and they deliver year after year.
The Winemaker
To list all of Thomas Rivers Brown’s accolades might fill this entire page. He’s crafted numerous 100-point wines, consulted at elite estates, and is one of the most prolific, sought-after winemakers in Napa Valley. But more than that, his Cabernet Sauvignon bottlings are always flat-out stunning—simultaneously refined, nuanced, and incredibly true to their origins. Take his coveted expertise, combine it with this kind of incomparable terroir, and the results speak for themselves.
The Appellation
The smallest sub-appellation in Napa Valley, Stags Leap earned near-mythic status at the Judgement of Paris, and hasn’t stopped producing velvety, elegantly complex Cabernet since. The diverse mix of volcanic and alluvial soils, plus drastic diurnal temperature swings, produce a fine balance of richness and energy in the wines. This is Napa Valley at its plushest and most intricate.
Varietal: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Appellation: Stags Leap District
Barrel Aging: 100% French oak, 85% new, 20 months
Join my Mailing List
I’m very excited to share my Stags Leap Leap Cabernet Sauvignon with you!
–Alicia Regusci Hardin
Please sign up for your opportunity to purchase my inaugural offering of wine.