B True Wines

B True Wines is a thoughtful and exciting wine brand founded by proprietor Bill True in 2018 with his inaugural wine, a Mt. Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon. Bill was a collector first, starting in the 1990s, focusing on California and French wines. Early on, he followed individual winemakers, such as Mia Klein, Dalia Viader and Philippe Melka, during a period when terroir was the dominant topic of conversation in the wine world. At the time, he didn’t fully understand or appreciate the meaning of the term. What he did notice, however, was that if he enjoyed one wine made by a particular winemaker, chances were he would also enjoy wines produced for that winemaker’s other clients.

Bill originally met his winemaker Brian Graham through Graham’s own wine brand Ramian whose wines were in part sold by Napa based Bounty Hunter, an online wine retailer. At the time, most wineries were unable to ship directly to North Carolina (where Bill lives), but Bounty Hunter could, opening the door to wines such as Ramian and others from Napa Valley. Bill eventually joined Ramian’s wine club and spoke with Brian several times each year, as Brian made it a point to stay in regular communication with his club members. What began as conversations driven by Bill’s curiosity as a collector gradually developed into a friendship. He frequently asked Brian questions such as why a wine was particularly exceptional from a certain site, leading to deeper discussions about vineyards, chemistry (Bill has a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Vanderbilt University) and the science behind winemaking.

Graham is originally from Texas. His path to wine began after he earned a degree in architecture from Texas Tech, but soon after graduating he started working in wine shops and then as a wine buyer. Bitten by the wine bug at this point, with a career in architecture quickly fading in the rearview mirror, he sold everything he owned, keeping only what could fit into two suitcases, and moved to France.

He enrolled at the University of Bordeaux and worked several harvests in both Burgundy and Bordeaux. Gaining valuable winemaking experience from a European point of view, Brian was soon ready to put his knowledge to the test in a prominent wine‑growing region, which is how he started working in Napa in 1998 and taking classes at Napa Valley College. One his professors was kind enough to let him into his class five weeks after courses had already started; this was after Brian cold‑called him in the middle of the quarter. While he currently lives on California’s Central Coast he continues to make wine in Napa Valley for several small brands.

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Bill is quick to admit that every B True wine begins in the vineyard, and as a result, they carefully choose their vineyard partners. A strong emphasis is placed on maintaining excellent communication with their growers, especially important during the growing season when timing in terms of viticulture decisions is of the utmost importance. Their goal is to secure long-term partnerships whenever possible with a shared commitment to quality.

An effort integral to their cellar operations is a custom partnership with Cognac, France based Tonnellerie Vicard, matching barrel types with each of their source vineyards, paying particular attention to tannin potential, rather than simply looking at grain structure or density. B True Wines is the first Napa Valley winery to engage with Vicard in such a partnership.

Vicard uses a fully automated and controllable toasting program resulting in exacting toasts relating to mouth feel and influences complementary to each of their wines. This is particularly useful for a small producer in terms of eliminating barrel variation. Bill’s background in research and technology and Brian’s mindset about the science of winemaking, align well Vicard’s research oriented philosophy and their continued search for new technologies to improve both barrel design and manufacturing.

In terms of winemaking, Brian brings a distinctly European sensibility to his approach. He embraces the philosophy that less is more – be patient and let the wine speak for itself. And work with the vagaries of the vintage. The wine will tell you when it needs something; the key is paying attention. To Brian, minimal intervention means allowing the wine to express where it is going naturally, i.e., if it doesn’t need your fingerprint on it, don’t leave one. And patience is also encouraged post harvest. Besides their normal élevage, B True wines receive extended bottle aging, often up to two years prior to release.

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Bill noticed that as wine prices started increasing, many wines seemed to lose some of their uniqueness. He often asks a simple question: does a wine have a soul? By remaining intentionally small and primarily working with small family owned vineyards, he pays homage to the sites and stories, including vineyard-designated wines from these sites that had generally never before been bottled on their own.

One of the most important lessons Bill has learned during his business career is how often people become victims of their own success. What works when building a business doesn’t necessarily work when trying to maintain it or continue to grow it. One must always keep one foot ‘on’ the edge and never become too comfortable or complacent. That is great advice for the wine industry in general.

Editor’s note. We hope that more winemaking in Napa Valley follows a fresher expression of Cabernet Sauvignon like the B True wines, especially targeting and introducing young consumers to these types of wine. We need to show how this style of wine highlights food; in a fast-paced world where digital gratification is instant, there is a multi-millennia old product that is the antithesis of this. We need to re-emphasize wine’s ability to bring people together.

Select Wines
Whites
Blanc de Blanc
The 2021 B True Blanc de Blanc Benoist Grace Vineyard, Sonoma Carneros is 100% clone 76. This wine was produced méthode traditionnelle (using gyropalettes) and was aged sur lie for 15 months with 6-7 months in neutral oak prior to disgorgement. This wine is medium gold in color; the bouquet offers plenty of up front aromatics including notes of honeydew melon, papaya, lemon meringue, vanilla, crème brûlée and a hint of chamomile. Light, refreshing and easy drinking, this wine tastes like mandarin orange, golden apples, comise pear, golden kiwi, lemon zest and guava. Fresh, bright and balanced with a pleasant cadence, this wine shows well at 5 years post vintage.

Cuvée Blanc
The 2023 B True Cuvée Blanc, Bennett Valley, Sonoma Valley (Frost Watch and Judge Vineyard) is 75% Sauvignon Blanc (Judge Vineyard) and 25% Semillon (Frostwatch Vineyard). The wine has similar élevage as the 2021 expression. It is medium gold in color and shows more fruit and freshness immediately on the bouquet than the 2021. There is a sweetness of ripe fruit and florals expressed here including honeysuckle, honeydew melon, vanilla, crème brûlée, apricot and baked pineapple. The palate offers an intensity of flavor with plenty of persistence. Its notes include pineapple, honeysuckle, golden delicious apples and kiwi. A vibrant thread of acidity keeps this wine lifted high with plenty of energy. It is ready to drink right now at 3 years post vintage and shows in a sweet spot. Crowd friendly.

The 2021 B True Cuvée Blanc Bennett Valley Sonoma Valley is 61% Sauvignon Blanc (Judge Vineyard) and 39% Semillon (Frostwatch Vineyard). The grapes were cold soaked for 48 hours at 50 degrees. The first 1/3 of fermentation was in stainless and then transferred to French oak barrels. 80% of the wine went through malolactic fermentation. This wine spent 6 weeks sur-lie with regular bâtonnage. After racking, the wine spent another 9 months in barrel before bottling. The bouquet sports an elegant nose with lots of aromatic layering including pineapple, chamomile, a pronounced waxy/lanolin quality which perhaps has evolved as this wine has aged in the bottle (5 years post vintage), papaya, hazelnut and a light note of bruised apples. And as it opens, there are sweeter dessert spices including vanilla. Beautifully bright across the palate, and still very much fresh, this wine tastes like golden delicious apples, pineapple, honeycomb, ripe pears and a light subtle spicy character on the finish. Give this wine time; it continues to open new layers both on the bouquet and the palate. This vintage is ‘sommelier friendly’, and a more cerebral expression of the variety.

Chardonnay
The 2023 B True Chardonnay Napa Valley, Beckstoffer Napa Carneros Lake Vineyard; this is their inaugural vintage and is from clones 76 and 96. This wine was 100% barrel fermented and did not go through malolactic fermentation; its élevage was 11 months in 100% new French oak barrels. Its color is medium to deep gold; this is a ripe expression of both variety and oak influence. Its scents show a sweetness including toasted vanilla, a honeyed element, peaches in light syrup, yellow nectarine, ripe papaya, apricot, baked apples, baked pineapple and honeysuckle. There is lots to like about the depth of this aromatic profile. This wine tastes like honeycomb, apricot, baked pineapples, ripe golden delicious apples with a bright but balanced acidity. The oak makes its presence felt here, both on the bouquet and the palate.

Reds
Kaleidoscope Series
The Kaleidoscope series are their introductory Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Eventually these wines will transition entirely to single appellation expressions of Cabernet Sauvignon.

The 2023 B True Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford Napa Valley is 100% varietal. This wine is deep ruby and opaque; an elegant yet also a riper expression of the variety, this wine smells like a union of sweet barrel spices and red and darker fruit aromatics. Its scents are of blackberry, dark cherry, boysenberry, dark mulberry, licorice, milk chocolate, cocoa powder and cloves. The palate mimics the bouquet to some extent; red fruited it tastes of red cherry, currant, cranberry and under ripe blackberry. The energetic acidity lifts this wine high and will carry it for several decades to come. The tannins take a step up in texture from earlier vintages with a broadly coating gravelly dusty feel which outpaces the fruit on the finish. At three years post vintage, this wine is still exceptionally youthful. Collectors of Napa Cabernet Sauvignon? You will do good to seek out this bottling in particular from their portfolio.

The 2020 B True Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley is 100% varietal with the grapes 65% from Rutherford (clone 7) and 35% Calistoga (clone 337). This wine was fermented using indigenous yeast, a change from previous vintages. Temperature was slowly elevated over 14 days during fermentation for a total skin contact of 23 days prior to pressing. The wine was aged for 20 months in 100% French oak of which 75% were new barrels, followed by 18 more months of bottle age prior to release. The nose smells cocoa powder, a light note of dried tobacco leaf, old cedar, dried rose petals and chocolate with its fruit showing blackberry, boysenberry and dark plum. This is a fresh expression of both variety and vintage, clearly showing the leanness of early harvest decisions, prior to the start of the Glass Fire. Red fruited, this wine tastes like cherry, currant, cranberry and not fully ripe boysenberry. Finishes with a long lasting tug of acidity, showing its lean verve with a mouth watering long lasting tart character. The tannins are gravelly textured, and broadly dispersed across the palate. Despite the challenges of the vintage, this is a throwback Napa Valley wine that will absolutely age. Its chemistry is 1 gram residual sugar with a pH of 3.78 and a TA of 5.65.

The 2019 B True Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford Napa Valley is 100% varietal from clone 337; the wine was cold soaked for 4 days followed by a 24 day fermentation. It was aged 19 months in 75% new French oak barrels and 25% seasoned oak barrels. This wine is deep ruby and opaque. The nose offers a pretty union of both darker fruits and barrel spices. It smells like blackberry, dark plum, boysenberry, cloves and cinnamon stick. We needled and nosed this wine 7 years post vintage. From the get go, the brightness of acidity immediately stands out with this bottling, keeping it fresh and vibrant. This wine strongly leans red fruited with flavors of Santa Rosa plum, currant, red cherry, Persian mulberry and not fully ripe boysenberry. The tannins are gravelly textured with a light but persistent drying character that runs in tandem with both fruit and acidity on the finish. That keeps this wine refreshing, even on a warm day. The pH is 3.59.

The 2018 B True Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley is from a southwest facing vineyard at an elevation of about 2,200 feet that receives plenty of sunshine throughout the day. The grapes were optically sorted, then cold soaked for 5 days followed by 24 days fermented in stainless steel. It was aged for 20 months in 80% new French oak. This wine is deep ruby and opaque; sweetly fruited and very much a ripe expression at 8 years post vintage, this wine smells like cherry liqueur, raspberry jam, boysenberry spread, plum compote with some sweeter baking spices playing in this aromatic sandbox including cinnamon stick and dark chocolate. This wine tastes like blackberry, boysenberry, Persian mulberry and red cherry. Even as this wine increased in temperature on the warm day of our tasting, the energetic acidity holds well and keeps this wine fresh. It shows youthful for a wine that is 8 years post vintage. The tannins are broadly distributed with plenty of early structure still, sporting texture that persists beyond the fruit with a long lasting firm and dusty grip. This wine has plenty of life ahead of it. pH 3.52.

Single Vineyard Series
Bulldog Vineyard
The 2020 B True Bulldog Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon Oak Knoll District is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon clone 337. Deep ruby and opaque, the ripe aromatics show fig jam, blackberry, boysenberry and dark mulberry. The bouquet smells like this wine has plenty of life, which was not always the case from such a challenging vintage. This wine tastes red fruited with flavors of cherry, boysenberry, cranberry, currant and underripe red plums. At 6 years post vintage, this may be one of the most tight wines from 2020 in Napa Valley that we have tried to date – yet it also may be one of the more age worthy expressions. It has fruit, massive texture and gripping acidity. The tannins hold with a firm and intense structured pull, fully coating the palate with a long lasting drying grip which far outpaces the fruit at this age. This is a long term cellar play and after decades might just turn out to be one of the more exceptional wines from this vintage. If you open this in its youth, decant but don’t drink the entire bottle – give it until the next day. Prior to fermentation this wine was cold soaked for 6 days – warmed up with fermentation from indigenous yeast. It spent a total of 25 days on skins prior to pressing with 19 months élevage followed by 15 months of bottle age prior to release. 3.85 pH.

The 2021 B True Bulldog Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oak Knoll District is 100% varietal from clone 337 planted on 3309 rootstock. The grapes were destemmed and optically sorted with 6 day cold soak followed by a 14 day fermentation with an additional 8 days of maceration. It was aged for 20 months in 95% new French oak with 18 months of bottle age. Like all of the red wines produced by B True, color extraction is not a problem with this wine. It is deep ruby and opaque; its aromatics include dried rose petals, lavender, raspberry, blackberry, boysenberry, mulberry, a light note of dried tobacco leaf and a kiss of sweet barrel influenced spices. Smells lifted. Balanced and approachable at 5 years post vintage, this wine is red fruited with flavors of red cherry, currant, cranberry, under ripe blackberry and raspberry. Still tight, but not as tight as the 2020 vintage, this wine lingers with a firm and youthful tension between both acidity, flavor and structure. The tannins exert long lasting gravelly and drying grip.

Viader Vineyard
The 2023 B True Viader Vineyard, Cabernet Franc is the first ever Viader Vineyard designated wine outside of Viader Winery. This wine is clone 327 and 623 on 110R rootstock. The bouquet smells fresh with varietal characteristics expressed outside of many contemporary Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons. Its aromatics include raspberry, cherry and strawberry with non fruited scents of cloves, cinnamon stick and cardamom. This is not an herbal or green expression of the variety, still the typicity of Cabernet Franc is very well expressed, especially on the palate. Gripping in terms of both acidity and texture, this wine is still a baby at three years post vintage. It tastes like tart cherry, currant, cranberry, under ripe red berries and finishing note of dried herbs including sage and thyme. The tannins are chewy with a chalky character, far outpacing the fruit on the finish with their prominent dusty and drying grip. Time will tame texture with more years in the bottle.

Montecillo Vineyard
The 2023 B True Montecillo Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County is the inaugural vintage of this wine. The vineyard is owned by winemakers Blair and Caroline Guthrie, co-owners of Yountville based Stewart Cellars. The vineyard sits at an elevation of 1,600 feet ASL with vines planted in fractured and decomposed basalt, volcanic ash and rhyolitic tuff. The grapes for this wine are from vines planted in 1998, clone 8 on 110R rootstock. This wine is deep ruby and opaque; its aromatics are sanguine, and almost ferrous with a rusting iron note. Higher toned in terms of its fruit scents, this wine also smells like cranberry, currant and red cherry with a light finishing note of cloves. As higher toned as the bouquet on the palate, this wine is fresh with an energetic core from its nervous acidity. This wine tastes like sour cherry, tart plums, cranberry, under ripe boysenberry and not fully ripe Persian mulberry. The tannins are grainy textured, holding on for quite some time, walking a tight textural tightrope in their youth. Both fruit, acidity and texture parallel each other on the extended finishing with texture ultimately pulling away. This wine is meant to age, as in decades rather than years.

Dalla Gasperina Vineyard
The 2023 B True Dalla Gasperina Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon, clone 4. Vines from this vineyard in south Rutherford are planted in gravelly sandy loam with sandstone influences. This was the first year B True produced this wine as vineyard designated. The initial aromatic hit includes barrel influenced sweet baking spices, including cocoa powder, milk chocolate, chocolate brownie, along with cherry pie, blackberry jam and baked plum. This wine is deep ruby and opaque; it tastes like boysenberry, blackberry, not fully ripe red plums, raspberry, currant and cranberry. Puckering, tart and mouth watering, the finish lingers with a vibrant, nervous and edgy acidity. The tannins are gravelly, broadly dispersed and persist across the palate with a dusty and drying character. Their grip is substantial at this age, not letting go anytime soon at 3 years post vintage. This wine needs to be held in your cellar for 15-20++ years.

Czapleski Ranch Vineyard
The 2021 B True Czapleski Ranch Vineyard. The grapes spent 28 days on the skins before pressing, followed by 24 months in bottle prior to release. This wine is clone 337 from 30 year old vines, considered young, based on the fact that this vineyard also features the oldest commercially producing vines in Napa Valley planted in the 1880s. It is deep ruby and opaque; the aromatics are in a sweet spot at 5 years post vintage. The nose smells like dark licorice, blackberry, boysenberry, plum compote, dark chocolate and a light note of dried tobacco leaf. On the palate this wine is as youthful as perhaps the day it was bottled. For reference, we tasted this 5 years post vintage. Incredibly fresh and built for the long haul, its flavors include tart cherry, currant and cranberry with an herbal edge to the finish. The tart acidity keeps this wine lively and bright, persisting with a mouthwatering sensibility. The tannins are dusty, drying and continue with a firm and long lasting grip. Highly food friendly. Needs protein in its youth to balance out the edgy acidity – a well marbled cut of Wagyu beef and a BBQ please. Its pH is 3.73.

Beckstoffer Bourn Vineyard
During a conversation about introducing a vineyard with lots of pedigree that would be recognized in the market, Brian suggested the historic Beckstoffer owned Bourne Vineyard in St. Helena.

The 2023 B True Beckstoffer Bourn Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena, Napa Valley (inaugural vintage). This wine is deep ruby and opaque; fresh, bright and energetic, this wine sings an aromatic soprano pitch at this age. Its scents include red cherry, boysenberry, raspberry, red mulberry and lavender. A lively expression of the variety and the vineyard, this wine tastes like boysenberry, Persian mulberry, tart cherry, cranberry and currant with a light note of baker’s chocolate. Minerally. The tension between fruit, acidity and texture is like a teenager with lots of energy with the resulting lift being the star of the show. Still tightly knit tannins outpace the fruit; their texture is like a mountain site, not St. Helena valley floor in its expression – with firmly gripping, chewy and very much long lasting tannins. Time this finish, you won’t be disappointed. Let’s try this again in 15-20 years to see its evolution. Highly cellar worthy.

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In 2025 B True Wines added Yates Family Vineyard on Mt. Veeder to the portfolio. Brian’s connection to this property dates back to the 1980s, when he helped Mike Yates replant part of the vineyard. They produced both Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc from this special site.

Labels
Bill and Brian spent considerable time researching images for potential wine labels eventually preferring an image of a kaleidoscope, reflecting the brand’s initial and continuing focus on red wines. The concept behind the Kaleidoscope wines are to take customers on a journey through Napa Valley’s AVAs. While most of their wines come from single-vineyard sites, they also want to showcase the diversity of multiple appellations, emphasizing that Napa Valley is anything but monolithic. Just as the colors within a kaleidoscope change with every turn, so do the many facets and personalities of Napa Valley’s terroir.

As they expanded into white wines, the colors of the kaleidoscope evolved as well, with the hues reflecting that of the wines.

For their Single Vineyard Series, a UK artist created a label depicting hands exchanging clusters of grapes, capturing the the critical partnership between grower and winemaker.

And a special label was created specifically for their Bourn Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. Bill’s wife suggested partnering with ArtPop Street Gallery, a Charlotte-based charitable organization that supports underrepresented artists. ArtPop Street Gallery provided four artists’ portfolios for Bill’s consideration. After interviewing each of them, he was particularly drawn to Monique Luck, who was enthusiastic about creating artwork for a wine label. Bill commissioned her to create an original piece exclusively for the Bourne wine. The resulting label is a colorful patchwork combining both painting, photography and collage elements. One special photograph was included in the image, a photo of Bill and good friends in Charlotte enjoying wine samples he had brought back from Napa.

Hospitality
B True hosts tastings at two locations within Napa Valley including at Arrow & Branch Winery near Yountville, where some of their wines are produced. This is a state of the art winery surrounded by vineyards and great views to the west of the Mayacamas mountains.

B True also hosts tastings at the Napa Valley Car Club, located in the Oxbow District directly next to the Napa River. Several spaces are available for tastings here including weather permitting outside on the nearly 5,000 square foot patio among the palm trees and a private room. The Barn houses a fine collection of exotic automobiles, a lounge area and bar and the upstairs vault for playing pool.

Tastings with B True Cellars are always unscripted, informative and at your own pace.

Napa Valley Car Club

Total production of each wine generally ranges between 150 to 220 cases with a total annual production of 1,400 cases to 2,000 cases depending on the vintage. For more information, to purchase wine, or to schedule a tasting, visit: www.btruewines.com