Courtney Benham house spotlight
The official MartinRay Winery channel welcomes you to Laguna Ridge, the Russian River cellar Courtney Benham rebuilt. This Reserve Cabernet is bottled under his own name from that same house.
2022 Courtney Benham Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
Courtney Benham's Napa Reserve Cabernet, blackberry and sagebrush with 93-point plush tannin, a 2022 you can open at twenty-five dollars.
The 2022 Reserve is the top barrels of the vintage: blackberry, wild blueberry, sagebrush, clove, wet stone, plum, and vanilla on supple tannin, now $25.
The namesake Reserve from the man who rebuilt Martin Ray
Courtney Benham built Blackstone, then found 1,500 forgotten Martin Ray cases in a San Jose warehouse and bought the name. The Courtney Benham label is his own Napa argument. This Reserve is the top barrels of the vintage: blackberry, wild blueberry, sagebrush, wet stone, plush tannin. James Suckling 93: lush, easy to drink, cocoa and baking spice, a red-cherry twist of acidity. This is the bottle that puts a 93-point Napa Reserve on a Tuesday table.
The house
Courtney Benham grew up on a Bakersfield farm, built Blackstone, then revived Martin Ray in 1990. The namesake label is his Napa Reserve lane.
The wine
Napa Valley Cabernet from valley floor to rocky foothills. Top barrels. 14.1% ABV. Supple tannin, a sleek finish.
The scores
James Suckling 93: lush, easy to drink, dark fruit, cocoa, baking spice, red-cherry acidity. Drink now.
The drinker
Blackberry and sagebrush first. Decant 30 to 45 minutes. Serve 60 to 64 F. Short ribs or a ribeye.
Blackberry and blueberry, then sagebrush, cocoa, and a cherry lift
The house sheet opens on blackberry and wild blueberry layered with sagebrush, clove, and wet stone, then plush plum and vanilla on supple tannins. Suckling found ample dark fruit, cocoa, and baking spice, expansive and broad, balanced by a red-cherry twist of acidity.
A concentrated, early Napa red year. The Reserve keeps 14.1 percent alcohol and a drink-now frame. Suckling called it easy to drink already.
Blackberry, wild blueberry, sagebrush, clove, wet stone, plum, vanilla, cocoa.
Lush, 14.1% ABV, soft tannin, a sleek balanced frame, red-cherry acidity.
Baking spice, cocoa. Decant 30 to 45 minutes. Serve 60 to 64 F.
Top barrels, then a Napa Reserve you can actually open
Courtney Benham's sheet calls this the top barrels of the vintage, a quintessential Napa Valley Cabernet that is juicy, rich, and refined with supple tannins. The fruit is sourced across Napa's diversity, valley floor to rocky foothills, alluvial soils and volcanic deposits. The cellar brief is plush fruit with a sleek close, not a cult waiting list.
James Suckling noted a screw cap on this 2022. 14.1% alcohol. Drink now.
Serve near 62 F. Thirty to 45 minutes of air is for sagebrush, cocoa, and the cherry lift.
A farm kid, a forgotten warehouse, a namesake Reserve
The Courtney Benham label exists because the same person who rebuilt Martin Ray still wanted a Napa Cabernet under his own name.
Courtney Benham grew up on a Bakersfield farm, tried professional tennis, then learned the wine business at the family Lost Hills winery.
He built Blackstone into a major brand, then in 1990 found 1,500 forgotten Martin Ray cases in a San Jose warehouse and bought the name. Laguna Ridge followed in 2003.
The Reserve Cabernet is the namesake bottle: Napa fruit, top barrels, a 93-point wine priced for the table.
Bring the plush tannin to beef
Dark fruit, cocoa, and sagebrush want a slow braise or a hard-seared steak.
Two plates. One pot of short ribs. One pan-seared steak. Both can take this Reserve.
Decant 30 to 45 minutes. Serve 60 to 64 F. Large stems.
Red-Wine-Braised Short Ribs with Mashed Potatoes
A slow braise, glossy sauce, and mashed potatoes. Napa Reserve Cabernet's classic landing.
Why it works: Beef richness meets soft tannin, while thyme and reduced wine echo blackberry, cocoa, and spice.
View Recipe for red-wine-braised short ribs with mashed potatoes (opens in a new tab)
Pan-seared steak
A hard sear, rosy center, coarse salt. A Napa table without the restaurant markup.
Why it works: Char and fat match cocoa and dark fruit while acidity cuts the crust.
View Recipe for The Food Lab's Complete Guide to Pan-Seared Steaks (opens in a new tab)Put this Napa Reserve Cabernet in the cart
James Suckling 93. Top barrels of the vintage. Twenty-five dollars against a $75 typical retail.
Put it in the cart. This is Courtney Benham's namesake bottle for a table that wants Napa Cabernet without a waiting list.
