Fairest Creatures wines from Napa Valley, USA
Not many ultra-premium brands make a giant splash in Napa Valley almost immediately upon release – but Fairest Creature has done just that. In fact, at the Premiere Napa Valley Wine Auction in February 2024, a five-case lot became the top-selling lot, selling for $70,000. The project is the brainchild of Jayson Hu, a former Silicon Valley IC design engineer who fell in love with the wines of Napa Valley and the icons of Burgundy and the Rhône Valley.
Jayson Hu zeroed in on three Napa-based winemakers to craft wines that would spotlight each winemaker’s individual style, rather than evoke a sense of place or terroir.
A unique winemaking philosophy
‘My aim with Fairest Creature is simple,’ says Hu, ‘I want to feature each winemaker’s vision of [Napa] Cabernet Sauvignon and highlight their unique, personal style’. No stranger to the opulent, powerful style of Napa Valley Cabernet, Hu began importing fine wine from California to China 15 years ago. Beginning in 2012, he zeroed in on three Napa-based winemakers after recognising the ‘consistency of their skill’ in crafting Cabernet Sauvignons that he judged faultless.
These three winemakers – Benoit Toquette, Thomas Rivers Brown and Philippe Melka – are among California’s most sought-after consultants. Hu’s vision was to hire each of them to craft a wine that would spotlight each winemaker’s individual style, rather than evoke a sense of place or
