In the fall of 2000 winery owner and viticulturist, Jim Regusci purchased 20 tons of exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from a vineyard that he planted and manages for a close friend. He brought the grapes to his winery and had them crushed and isolated from the rest of his own Regusci Estate grown grapes. Not having a specific plan for the grapes, he asked his winemaker, Charles Hendricks to make the wine and age it separately. Because the particular vineyard did not have a name one of his cellar hands, who also works from time to time in the vineyards, chose to label the barrels 'Twenty Bench'. The name was chosen to signify the 20 tons of fruit from the gentle rising bench land vineyard from which they were picked.

The following year Jim was approached by two of his close friends James Harder and Jim Gill, who together also happen to oversee the sales and marketing of Jim's own Regusci Estate wines. The two were interested in developing their own wine with one simple mission in mind: to make an exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon that could retail for under $20 per bottle and 'over deliver' on quality for the price. Both men knew that besides owning the 290-acre Regusci Estate in the Stags Leap District, Jim Regusci was also the owner of Regusci Vineyard Management, which manages over 1000 acres of grapes in and around Napa Valley, surely he could somehow provide what they were after.

Regusci took them into his cellar and drew a barrel sample of the wine for the two to try. After one small taste both knew that this was the Cabernet Sauvignon they had in mind. When the three men also noticed the name "Twenty Bench" written in chalk on the side of the barrels they also discovered a great name for this special wine. A partnership was struck on the spot with Jim Regusci providing the wine growing and winemaking capabilities while James Harder and Jim Gill would develop a label and handle the sales and marketing.

The label design makes use of a native petroglyph that pays homage, to the Wappo Indians, the first descendants of the Napa Valley. The name Wappo, which means 'brave', was given to this tribe of warriors who lived peacefully in the Napa Valley for what some say amounted to 4500 years! In 1836 there were more than 8,000 Wappos living in the Napa Valley area. By 1850 they're less than 500. In 1908 there were less than 40.

After just three vintages, the highly allocated "Twenty Bench" has already earned a stellar reputation among some of the countries top restaurants and wine retailers for offering an exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon at a very affordable price.

-From the producer