There is a mythical quality to crafting a wine. A quest. If you harvest a potato, it gets eaten, and its story ends there. Grapes, however, begin their journey at harvest. They demand years of patience, attention, and meticulous care to become something more. And even once bottled, the life of the wine continues to change and evolve. Despite the complexity of making a bottle of fine wine, there is a purity and simplicity to wine that I find intriguing and elusive. Where most products require a dizzying list of ingredients, ours begins and ends with one: grapes. In our case, organic grapes.
As with all farming, there is a tension in trying to harness something we clearly cannot control. We are laser focused on what we want to achieve, but the target shifts with the will of Mother Nature. Some may find that frustrating—I find it freeing. It ties us to something larger, beyond the rock walls of our Estate. For me, the pursuit of the “perfect wine” is futile. True beauty lies in imperfection—the character, intrigue, and authenticity that come from a singular place, a fleeting moment, and the resilience of the people behind it.
The 2022 harvest will be remembered as a distinctive vintage, marked by a heat wave in September. With winegrowing, there is always the tension of getting enough heat to ripen, but not too much heat—the achievement of balance being the ultimate goal. The heat wave accelerated harvest, pushing our in-house team to pick the entire Estate in two weeks. The age of our vines and meticulous farming practices allowed us to capture freshness and structure, balanced with concentration and finesse—a defining signature of our wines.
The 2022 Rudd Oakville Estate Samantha’s Cabernet Sauvignon embodies the perfection of imperfection. Vivid bursts of juicy red plums, blackberries, and decadent currants unfold over subtle, earthy undertones of coffee and a hint of wild mushrooms. On the palate, the fruit notes dance in harmony, bound by a lively thread of acidity and deepened by graphite and iron-rich soils—a true reflection of our rocky, volcanic site.
This 14th release of my namesake wine fills me with pride. It captures not only the character of our site and the story of this vintage, but also the dedication of those who care for these vines as though they were their own. While we are still driven by the quest for unobtainable perfection, in the process, we make world-class wine. I invite you to experience the 2022 vintage and share in the beauty of what our agricultural endeavor created. Although we aren’t sure perfection in wine exists, we’re going to keep trying.
All the best,
Samantha Rudd
2022 Rudd Oakville Estate Samantha’s Cabernet Sauvignon
The 2022 vintage harvest will be remembered as one of the more unique vintages in recent memory with a focus on resilience and adaptability. With mild December rain, the beginning of the growing season commenced on the warmer side, leading to an early budbreak. Going into late spring and early summer, the vines showed strong shoot growth and average crop yields. A warm August led to early picks from our Oakville Estate starting on August 31st, with all fruit being harvested shortly after. Due to an unprecedented heat wave of 5 days over the Labor Day weekend, our vineyard crew and winemaking team worked tirelessly to pick and process the entire property in 2 weeks, with our last pick coming in on September 15th. Due to the age of our vines and meticulous farming practices, we were able to capture freshness and structure, while keeping concentration and finesse to provide an impressive wine in a more challenging vintage.
The 2022 Rudd Oakville Estate Samantha’s Cabernet Sauvignon nose opens with a vivid burst of juicy red plums, blackberries, and decadent currants, layered over more subtle earthy undertones of roasted coffee and hints of wild mushrooms. Lifted notes of purple flowers weave through, bringing a sense of freshness and aromatic complexity as the wine begins to open. The palate delivers a kaleidoscope of fruit expressions—bright and fresh red currants, followed by deeper and more concentrated black cherries and plums. These vibrant fruit profiles engage in a harmonious dance across the palate, seamlessly woven together by a persistent thread of acidity. Balancing the abundance of fruit, notes of graphite and iron-rich soil lend depth highlighting the classic character of our rocky, volcanic site. Notes of black tea and lightly toasted spice contribute to the bold, yet softening tannin structure of the wine, allowing a rare glimpse into a vintage that can be enjoyed upon release or aged in the cellar.