McKahn Wines · Morning Glass
2023 McKahn Wines 'Morning Glass' Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley, USA
A place on your wine list
Charles McKahn's Napa Valley Cabernet. James Suckling 91. Blackcurrant, crushed rock, licorice, and dried sage. A steakhouse bottle from a family that started the label in 2014.
Winery SRP $80 per bottle
Why this bottle belongs on the list
Two selling points.
Then the market.
Charles McKahn, Chappellet then Rutherford.
Charles decided at 15 he would make wine. Cal Poly enology, harvest at McManis, then Napa in 2011 under Phillip Titus at Chappellet on Pritchard Hill. Assistant winemaker there, then winemaker at William Harrison in Rutherford from 2016. North Bay Business Journal Forty Under 40 in 2022. This is the family Cabernet.
Made at The Caves on Soda Canyon.
McKahn crafts this Cabernet at The Caves at Soda Canyon, 2275 Soda Canyon Road, a hillside cave overlooking the southern Napa Valley. Other serious Napa houses work the same cave. Staff can sell the place in one sentence: hillside cave, Soda Canyon, Napa Cabernet.
Professional scores
James Suckling 91 on this vintage.
Named critic score from the official McKahn 2023 Napa Valley Cabernet shelf talker. Not a Wine-Searcher aggregate.
The buyer's perspective
What the guest
hears first.
James Suckling 91: blackcurrants, crushed rocks, licorice, dried sage. Full-bodied, taut and chewy yet polished. Staff can sell it in one sentence: Charles McKahn, Napa Cabernet, pour it with steak.
Winemaker's corner
Founder · Cal Poly enology · Chappellet · William Harrison · Forty Under 40
Charles
McKahn
Charles started in the lab and cellar at McManis Family Vineyards in 2007, then studied enology at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He moved to Napa in 2011 for harvest at Chappellet on Pritchard Hill. Phillip Titus kept him on as enologist, then assistant winemaker.
In 2016 he became winemaker at William Harrison in Rutherford. The family founded McKahn Wines in 2014, when he was 25. Denise has said they sold the ski boat to start the label. Kevin, Denise, Brittany, and Charles still run it.
He has said his job is to shepherd fruit so the wine tastes like the variety and the place. McKahn crafts at The Caves at Soda Canyon. In 2026 he also joined Titus Vineyards as winemaker. This bottle is the family Cabernet.
The estate
A family label.
A cave on Soda Canyon Road.
McKahn Wines is family-owned in Napa: Charles the winemaker, Denise owner and CEO, Kevin owner, Brittany owner. They craft at The Caves at Soda Canyon, 2275 Soda Canyon Road, a hillside cave with a view of the southern valley.
They do not own vineyards. Fruit comes from growers across Northern California. This bottle is Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, 2023.
Morning Glass is the family name for still water at dawn on Lake San Antonio.
2023 in the glass
Blackcurrant.
Crushed rock.
Sage.
James Suckling on the 2023: dark and lightly earthy, blackcurrants, crushed rocks, licorice and dried sage. Full-bodied, taut and chewy yet polished, with vivid dark fruit in the middle. Even and smooth finish. Try in 2027.
Menu and service
Built for a serious table.
- Pan-seared ribeye with rosemary
- Herb-crusted lamb with roasted garlic
- A Saturday roast with a dark pan sauce
Serve near 62 F in a Bordeaux glass. A 20 to 40 minute decant if you want the crushed rock and sage to catch up with the blackcurrant.
Staff pairing clip
Gordon Ramsay cooks ribeye with Matthew McConaughey
The tableside introduction
“This is Charles McKahn's Napa Cabernet, Morning Glass, James Suckling 91. Blackcurrant, rock, sage. 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 Morning Glass on the list.
Napa Valley Cabernet from Charles McKahn. James Suckling 91. Trade $14 a bottle, $168 the twelve-bottle case, one-case minimum.
