Lewis Cellars Mason's Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

Lewis Cellars Mason's Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 is a full-bodied, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley, California, bottled at 15.5% ABV in a standard 750ml format. This small-lot bottling earned a 93-point rating on CellarTracker and a 92-point average across critics, affirming its standing among serious Napa Cabernets.

Quick Facts: ABV: 15.5%  |  Origin: Napa Valley, California  |  Vintage: 2019  |  Winery: Lewis Cellars

Production & Heritage

Lewis Cellars operates in Napa Valley and has built its reputation around what the winery calls sensory winemaking — an artisanal, hands-on philosophy that prioritizes taste, aroma, and texture over purely analytical benchmarks. The Mason's Cabernet Sauvignon is produced in small lots from handpicked, hand-sorted grapes, ensuring only the highest-quality fruit enters the blend. This 2019 vintage reflects a strong growing season in Napa Valley, widely regarded as one of the more balanced years of the decade for Cabernet Sauvignon in the region.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: The nose opens with concentrated dark fruit — ripe boysenberry and cassis leading the way — followed by layers of baked blueberry and fig. Deeper notes of walnut, café mocha, and a hint of violets emerge as the wine breathes.

Taste: The entry is plush and generously fruited, with black currant and dark plum flavors arriving immediately. Mid-palate, rich Godiva-style dark chocolate and mocha tones build alongside cedary spice and a thread of tobacco. Despite the full body and 15.5% ABV, the wine maintains a fresh, well-structured character with firm but integrated tannins.

Finish: The finish is long and layered, trailing off with lingering dark chocolate, cedar, and a subtle earthy quality. Tannins grip gently on the close, suggesting cellar-worthy structure through the mid-to-late 2020s.

How to Drink Mason's Cabernet

This wine is best enjoyed at cellar temperature (60–65°F), ideally decanted for 30–45 minutes before serving to let the layered aromatics fully develop. Its concentration and tannic structure reward patience. While built for sipping alongside a meal rather than mixing, its bold dark-fruit profile could anchor a bold red wine sangria, work in a rich Cabernet reduction sauce for steak, or stand in as the base for a luxurious mulled wine during cooler months.

Best For

• Pairing with a prime grilled ribeye or lamb chops at a dinner party
• Gifting to a Napa Valley Cabernet collector
• Cellaring for special anniversaries or milestone celebrations through the late 2020s
• Impressing guests at a curated blind tasting of Napa Cabernets

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Mason's Cabernet taste like? Lewis Cellars Mason's Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 delivers rich, full-bodied flavors of black currant, dark chocolate, and cassis, supported by cedary spice, mocha, and firm tannins. It has a plush, generously fruited character with a long, layered finish.

How does Mason's Cabernet compare to the Lewis Cellars Reserve Cabernet? The Mason's bottling is positioned as the winery's core Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon expression, while the Lewis Cellars Reserve is a more limited, higher-tier selection typically sourced from the estate's top vineyard blocks. Both share Lewis Cellars' sensory winemaking philosophy, but the Reserve generally commands a higher price point and is intended for longer aging.

Is Mason's Cabernet good for sipping neat? Absolutely — its layered dark fruit, structured tannins, and complex spice profile make it an excellent wine for savoring on its own, especially after 30–45 minutes in a decanter.

Where is Mason's Cabernet made? Lewis Cellars Mason's Cabernet Sauvignon is produced in Napa Valley, California. Lewis Cellars is based in Napa Valley and sources 100% Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon fruit for this bottling.

What foods pair well with Mason's Cabernet? Grilled ribeye steak pairs naturally with the wine's bold tannins and dark fruit. Braised short ribs echo the mocha and chocolate tones on the palate. Aged Gouda or Comté cheeses complement the cedary spice. Dark chocolate desserts mirror the finish, and herb-crusted rack of lamb bridges the wine's fruit and savory qualities.

What sizes does Mason's Cabernet come in? Lewis Cellars Mason's Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 is available in the standard 750ml bottle format.

Is Mason's Cabernet worth the price? The Mason's Cabernet positions as a premium Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon — not entry-level, but well below the ultra-premium and cult-wine tier. With a 93-point CellarTracker score and a 92-point critics average, it delivers concentration and complexity that competes favorably within its price class for Napa Cabernet.

Why Mason's Cabernet?

Lewis Cellars' sensory winemaking approach — prioritizing hands-on evaluation of aroma, texture, and flavor at every stage — sets this wine apart from producers that rely more heavily on lab analysis. The 2019 vintage brought excellent balance to Napa Valley, and this bottling captures that quality with a concentration of dark fruit, structured tannins, and layered spice that justify its 93-point CellarTracker rating. Small-lot production from handpicked, hand-sorted fruit ensures a level of consistency that larger-volume Napa Cabernets often struggle to match. For collectors and enthusiasts seeking a serious, cellar-worthy Napa Cabernet without cult-wine pricing, the Mason's expression is a compelling bottle.