Judd's Hill · Founder's Art Reserve
2021 Judd's Hill Founder's Art Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley, USA
A place on your wine list
Art Finkelstein's reserve, hand-selected barrels, family Napa Cabernet. Judd and Holly run the house. Eric Lyman and Alex Young made the 2021. No locked critic score on this vintage.
Winery SRP $115 per bottle
Trade offer. One-case minimum. Orders are subject to account review.
Why this bottle belongs on the list
Two selling points.
Then the market.
Art Finkelstein built Whitehall Lane, then walked away.
Art and his brother built Whitehall Lane in the 1970s. Art left that larger house because the grind had eaten the passion, and built something smaller. Judd's Hill, 1989, named for his son Judd. About 3,000 cases a year.
Founder's Art is the barrel selection named for Art.
A different artwork on the label each year. Barrels chosen from the top of the tasting. Art died in 2010. Every vintage since carries his name. Eric Lyman, Navy veteran, winemaker since 2016. Alex Young alongside.
The buyer's perspective
What the guest
hears first.
Staff can sell it in one sentence: Founder's Art Reserve, Judd's Hill, family Napa Cabernet, pour it with ribeye.
Proprietor's corner
Judd's Hill · named for Judd · family Napa Cabernet since 1989
Judd
Finkelstein
Art Finkelstein was an architect in Los Angeles before he was a Napa winemaker. Whitehall Lane first, then he walked away at 30,000 cases and built something smaller. Judd's Hill, 1989, 14 hillside acres, no more than 3,000 cases a year.
The winery is named for his son Judd. Founder's Art is the reserve named for Art himself. Art died in 2010. Judd and Holly run the house. Eric Lyman, Navy veteran, has made the wine since 2016. Alex Young is alongside.
2021 was a Napa year James Suckling called an apex vintage. This bottle does not carry a locked critic score of its own. The 2021 Founder's Art is 84 percent Cabernet Sauvignon with Franc, Petit Verdot, Syrah, and Merlot. Eighteen months, 13 percent new French oak. 14.7 percent alcohol.
The estate
A small Napa house.
A reserve named for Art.
Judd's Hill sits on 14 hillside acres off the Silverado Trail. The house still runs a custom MicroCrush program, but Founder's Art is their own reserve: barrels chosen each year from the top of the tasting.
The label changes artwork each vintage. This 2021 is Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, on the glass. About 3,000 cases across the whole estate each year. This reserve is a small lot from that.
Typical retail $115. No named critic score is locked on this vintage. Do not invent one.
2021 in the glass
Black cherry first.
Then pencil shaving.
Pretty in a way that sneaks up. First taste is good. Second taste is the one. Ripe dark black cherry, then black plum, blackcurrant, light pencil shaving, boysenberry through the back half. Full-bodied with breadth, not extracted power. Smooth tannins start to finish. Serve near 62 F.
Menu and service
Built for a serious table.
- Pan-seared ribeye with rosemary
- Herb roast chicken
- A family steak night that does not need a trophy speech
Serve near 62 F in a Bordeaux glass. Smooth tannins. A 20 minute decant if you want the pencil shaving to catch up with the black cherry.
Staff pairing clip
Jeff Mauro: 5-star reverse seared ribeye
The tableside introduction
“This is Founder's Art Reserve from Judd's Hill, the family house Art Finkelstein built after Whitehall Lane. Black cherry, pencil shaving. Pour it with ribeye.”
Ready for your team
Put the story to work.
Shelf talker
A concise bottle story for guest-facing displays. No trade price.
Download PDFServer card
The pitch, menu matches, and service notes in a compact format.
Download PDFFull trade sheet
Person, site, tasting, market context, and the case offer.
Download PDFOrder the case
Put Founder's Art on the list.
Family Napa reserve. Trade $35 a bottle, $420 the twelve-bottle case, one-case minimum.
Trade offer. One-case minimum. Orders are subject to account review.
