2021 Hundred Acre, Wraith, Napa Valley, Bottle (750ml)

LP100 "Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2021 Wraith is a touch subdued to start, needing a bit of patient swirling to bring out the complex perfume of iris, dark chocolate, anise, and cassis, opening out to a profound core of juicy plums and a myriad of earthy/loamy scents. The full-bodied palate is built like a skyscraper with a solid structure of firm, fine-grained tannins and with a refreshing backbone lifting the intricate perfume to an epically long finish. A wine that is as breathtakingly beautiful as it is cerebral." LPB for TWI Dec 2024

DR100 "Hundred Acre owner-winemaker Jayson Woodbridge describes Wraith as the perfect snapshot of a vintage, defined by a blend of all three of his estate single vineyards—Ark, Few and Far Between, and Morgan’s Way. Aged for 40 months in extremely fine, centre-cut French oak barriques with ultra-tight graining, this wine captures the essence of each vineyard while forming a cohesive whole. 'Every vintage of Hundred Acre has a thread that connects it to the first', Woodbridge tells me as I taste this wine, 'Weaving the fabric of each new vintage, Wraith is like a time machine, revealing each vineyard’s unique characteristics in a singular expression. You can sense all three vineyards merging into one entity, creating the masterpiece that is Wraith.' If you were to taste all three Hundred Acre wines, then Wraith, you might pick out the umami-rich character of Few and Far Between, the red-toned, zesty mineral character of Ark, or the brooding muscularity of Morgan's Way. Still, above all, that unmistakable complex fabric of Hundred Acre is evident in each sip. The 2021 Wraith is coiled up, seductive, and red berry-driven, with loads of black truffle and earthy notes. It’s like the Burning Man of wine—rip-roaringly insane, full of energy, magic, and mystery. Yes, there’s plenty of red and blackberry fruit, laced with currants and sweet spices, but the floral nuances and dried perfumed aromatics elevate this wine to something otherworldly." JC for DR Sep 2024

Lisa Perrotti-Brown for The Wine Independent writes, "Wraith has been a project in the making since Ark Vineyard came on board. Jayson explained his frustration that existed for many years when he would try, vintage after vintage, to compose an uber-blend, sum-greater-than-the-parts expression of Morgan’s Way and Ark vineyards. But all his attempts would equate to something lacking and, ultimately, a blend that was less than the single-vineyard expressions on their own. Then he purchased Few and Far Between Vineyard. “It was like I was trying to crack one of those vast combination safes,” Jayson explained, twisting his hands as though unlocking a safe. “And then, swoosh! The final combination was added, and the safe was open.” That final element was, of course, the contribution from the Few and Far Between vineyard, which, poignantly, is named for another of his children. So, Wraith is a barrel selection blend composed of all three vineyards. However, the percentage of each vineyard is dictated, as with everything at Hundred Acre, purely by taste and varies enormously each vintage. The first vintage of Wraith was 2013." Published: Dec 18, 2024