A Standout: Best Wine of the Show at Thomas Rivers Brown’s Recent Portfolio Tasting
What happens when you bring together a countless 100-point winemaker, a three-Michelin-star chef, a celebrated Southern restaurateur family, and a fourth-generation Napan? You get KHK Winery. The result of a two-decade partnership, KHK unites Jim Keller, Tommy and Billy Hall of Halls Chophouse, and Thomas Keller—blending world-class wine, hospitality, and Napa Valley heritage into one compelling project.

Together, they purchased a prized Yountville vineyard and enlisted Thomas Rivers Brown to craft a wine specifically designed to thrive in the world’s most elite restaurants. The 2023 vintage is a blockbuster, inviting you in with a dark, densely rich color. Exuberant upon opening, the nose reveals a complex weave of ripe black mountain fruit and delicate earthiness against notes of roasted coffee and dark chocolate. Hints of floral elements emerge at the rim, leading into a palate that is a masterclass in balance. The texture is remarkably supple and fine-grained, offering a plush, pillowy feel that finishes long on the palate. Aged for 20 months in 80% new French oak, this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon possesses the structure to evolve over a long meal while remaining effortlessly pleasurable from the very first sip.