The First Cabernet Sauvignon from the Family’s St. Helena Estate Marks a New Chapter for the Tournahu Vineyard
September 23, 2026 (St. Helena, CA) — Alioto-Tournahu Estate Wines announces the release of its 2024 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, the inaugural Cabernet Sauvignon from the family’s Tournahu Vineyard in St. Helena. Produced from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and rooted in a vineyard the Tournahu family has held since 1976, the wine is a focused expression of St. Helena — deeply concentrated and powerful, yet balanced by integrated tannins, acidity and a persistent finish.
The project is led by Master Sommelier Nunzio Alioto and Napa Valley winemaker Rich Frederick, whose collaboration brings together two complementary perspectives: one rooted in global wine and hospitality, the other in decades of Napa Valley winemaking experience. Together, they are focused on making wines that express the character of Tournahu Vineyard with clarity, structure and a sense of place.
The family’s seven-acre property just north of St. Helena supplied Cabernet Sauvignon to respected Napa Valley producers for decades. With the creation of Alioto-Tournahu Estate Wines, the vineyard now steps forward under its own label, allowing the estate to tell its own story through wine.
“For nearly fifty years, this vineyard has quietly been part of the St. Helena landscape, with its fruit going into wines made by others,” said Master Sommelier Nunzio Alioto. “This Cabernet gives us the opportunity to finally express the site under its own name — with as little interference as possible between the vineyard and the glass.”
The 2024 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon draws fruit from Blocks 1 and 3 of the Tournahu Estate, both planted to Clone 15, but with distinctly different vineyard histories. Block 1 features 30-plus-year-old vines on 110R rootstock, planted in deep gravel, while Block 3 is a high-density 2016 replant on 420A rootstock. The two blocks are brought together to create a wine that reflects the depth and character of the estate.
The 2024 growing season began with generous winter rainfall and an even bloom in May, followed by a period of intense summer heat that tightened berry size and drove concentration. September brought moderate temperatures and cold nights that helped preserve acidity, allowing the fruit to be harvested on September 21, 2024, at 25–26 Brix.
In the cellar, the fruit underwent a seven-day cold soak followed by 14 days total on skins, before aging 18 months in French oak barriques (60% new) following malolactic fermentation. The wine was bottled June 24, 2026, at 14.3% alcohol.
Released nearly two years to the day after harvest, the 2024 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is deep ruby and opaque, opening with floral notes before moving into baker’s spice, blackberry, blueberry, cassis and cocoa, with cedar box from the oak and a subtle dusty petrichor note. The palate is unmistakably St. Helena, with layers of blackberry, dark cherry, dark plum, blueberry, boysenberry and spice carried through a long, persistent finish. The tannins are notably powdery rather than gripping, while oak, alcohol and tannin remain integrated rather than stacked.
The result is a Cabernet with the concentration and power expected from St. Helena, but without sacrificing balance or drinkability. Smooth and ready for the table, the inaugural Estate Cabernet Sauvignon offers the first look at what the Tournahu Vineyard can express under its own name.
The 2024 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon ($185 per bottle) is available beginning September 22, 2026, through the estate’s allocation list at aliototournahuwines.com. 200 cases were produced, along with a small quantity of large-format bottles.
ABOUT ALIOTO-TOURNAHU WINES
Alioto-Tournahu Wines is a family-run estate in the St. Helena AVA, producing Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon from Tournahu Vineyard alone. Master Sommelier Nunzio Alioto and winemaker Rich Frederick are both working from ground the Tournahu family has held since 1976, and both are after the same thing: poise under St. Helena’s power, and persistence at the table. The estate’s inaugural 2024 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon releases later in 2026.
