Passing through Oakville, known as the heart of Napa Valley in California, a quaint wooden building catches the eye. It is Oakville Grocery, which has stood in the same spot for more than 140 years.
Opened in 1881, this grocery is more than a simple store. When Napa Valley was still in its pioneering days, it served as a hub of daily life where farmers, merchants, and early winemakers came and went and goods and information were exchanged. Locally produced ingredients and wine were distributed through this place, and countless ideas that changed Napa Valley's future, such as new cultivation methods, were exchanged. It is a living witness that quietly observed all the ups and downs and prosperity as Napa Valley, once close to a wasteland, transformed into a world-class wine region.
The grocery is still in business today. Joseph Phelps, considered one of Napa Valley's representative wineries, once oversaw operations, and Leslie Rudd, founder of Dean & DeLuca, a symbol of U.S. premium grocery distribution, also ran it for a time. The turning point came in Jan. 2019. Oakville Grocery was acquired by Boisset Collection, the U.S. branch of Boisset, the No. 3 corporations in the French wine industry, and its role expanded into a place that presents wine alongside local food.
To commemorate the year the grocery first opened, Boisset Collection introduced a wine brand called 1881 Napa. The move signaled an intent to honor the pioneering spirit of the figures who built Napa Valley's wine industry and to bottle that history in a single wine.
Boisset Collection also operates the 1881 Napa wine history museum right next door to the grocery. It is like a treasure house preserving the original spirit of Napa Valley's pioneers. On display are rugged presses used to crush grapes in the 19th century and tools for crafting oak barrels marked by artisans' hands. It also presents soil samples from several sub-AVAs within Napa Valley and explains how differences by origin influence a wine's character. Rather than promoting the brand's own prestige, it is a space that helps visitors understand Napa Valley's overall history and identity.
Boisset is a family-owned wine group that grew out of Burgundy, France. Founded when Jean-Claude Boisset started a wine business in Burgundy in 1961, the group is now led by his son, Jean-Charles Boisset. It has a broad portfolio spanning France and the United States and operates numerous wineries in the U.S., centered on Napa and Sonoma. The 1881 Napa brand is also a project spearheaded by Jean-Charles Boisset. It is seen as combining France's meticulous winemaking tradition with America's dynamic pioneering spirit. In other words, Napa Valley's classical values, reinterpreted through a European lens, are woven into the wines.
1881 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon is a red wine made by blending Cabernet Sauvignon (91%) harvested from several areas of Napa Valley with Petite Sirah (7%) and Zinfandel (2%). Using fruit from both hillside vineyards and valley-floor vineyards, it expresses the diversity and complexity shaped by Napa Valley's terrain and climate. Rather than emphasizing the individuality of a single vineyard, it focuses on showing the balance and structure of the region as a whole. During aging, about 20% of the total wine spends time in American oak barrels, adding the presence of oak in a restrained way.
On the nose, ripe notes of dark fruit and raisins come first, followed by layers of leather, cedar, and subtle spice nuances. On the palate, concentrated blackberry and currant fruit flavors balance with a soft sweetness reminiscent of brown sugar. It pairs well not only with red meat dishes but also with pizza and pasta, a variety of cheeses, and richly seasoned galbijjim.
The wine received 90 points from Wine Spectator (2018 vintage), a gold medal at the 2023 Asian Wine Trophy (2019 vintage), and the grand prize in the New World red wine category at the 2023 and 2025 Korea Wine & Spirits Awards. The importer in Korea is WINE2U Korea.