Fairest Creature's 2019 Triniceros Cabernet Sauvignon has secured the No. 1 position in Robb Report's "50 Greatest Cabernet Sauvignons of the Century" list, an achievement that disrupts the traditional hierarchy of Napa Valley's most celebrated wines. The ultra-limited Cabernet from the young winery, founded in 2018 by Jayson Hu, surpassed iconic, legacy producers to claim the top spot.
"We're honored by this recognition from Robb Report," said Hu. "To be regarded as the greatest Napa Valley Cabernet of the 21st century so far — among so many legendary wines — truly speaks to the vision and dedication of our team." The winemaking team consists of four renowned winemakers: Thomas Rivers Brown, Benoit Touquette, Philippe Melka, and superstar blender Michel Rolland.
In their assessment, Robb Report authors Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen wrote that the 2019 Triniceros "stands out as the best Napa Cab we've tasted in a long time." They described the wine as having "heady aromas of blue fruits, cocoa powder, espresso, black raspberry, and graphite with jaw dropping flavors of ripe red and black fruits, tobacco leaf, and brown baking spices supported by a sturdy backbone of minerality."
The recognition carries significant implications for the wine industry, particularly in Napa Valley where established producers have long dominated critical acclaim. For business and technology leaders observing market disruptions, Fairest Creature's rapid ascent demonstrates how strategic collaboration and focused expertise can challenge entrenched industry leaders. The winery's approach—assembling a dream team of winemakers and securing premier vineyard sources—mirrors successful strategies in technology sectors where talent aggregation drives innovation.
Reflecting on the broader context, DeSimone and Jenssen noted in their unveiling of the list that "with a winemaking history stretching back to 1839, Napa Valley has been heralded as the source of some of the world's best Cabernet Sauvignon." They added that Fairest Creature's achievement represents an exceptional outcome for a relatively new Napa project that quickly earned acclaim among a field of iconic bottlings.
For investors and industry observers, this development signals potential shifts in wine valuation and collector markets, where critical rankings significantly influence pricing and demand. The recognition may also encourage more cross-industry approaches to traditional sectors, as Hu's background illustrates—coming from Silicon Valley, he shifted his creative and analytical mindset from technology to wine, applying systematic methodology to winemaking.
Fairest Creature produces four wines made from nine different Napa vineyards, with each of the three winemakers creating one wine from identical vineyard sources with every release. The fourth wine, the Triniceros, represents a barrel selection of all vineyard lots made by these three winemakers, blended by Michel Rolland. More information about the winery is available at https://fairestcreature.com.
The Robb Report ranking validates not just a single wine but an entire operational philosophy that prioritizes collaborative excellence over individual legacy. For business leaders, this serves as a case study in how assembling top talent and applying cross-disciplinary thinking can produce category-leading results in even the most established markets.
