96-Points by Anne Sewell.
The Facets 2021 Napa Valley Cabernet opens with floral and spicy notes, including anise, bergamot, violets, plush black fruits, and backing spices. On the palate, the wine has flavors of black plums, black currants, toast, and coffee ice cream. The tannins are powdery and coat the mouth as the flavors coalesce with bright acidity into a long, soft finish. It was aged for 20 months in 70% new French oak barrels. This wine clearly overdelivers for the price point!
 
In 2023, Gemstone Vineyards was sold to Jason Rebrook, a petroleum engineer raised in the mountains of West Virginia. His career has focused on the energy sector, primarily oil and gas. He currently serves as CEO of Houston based private equity JDH Capital Company. And with the transition in ownership, winemaker and production locations have changed yet again. As of our latest update to this review, Julien Fayard is now the winemaker for Gemstone Vineyard.
Gemstone Vineyard is located in a small strip of the Yountville appellation, but for all intents and purposes, this part of the appellation could be either Oakville or the Stags Leap District as both of these sub appellations are located within a short distance of this property. The decision to purchase a vineyard may have been quick but the actual search took some time. The Franks were very particular about the type of vineyard they wanted; it needed to be land that was rocky with bench land soils and western facing exposure.
Julien Fayard
French-born and classically trained in Provence and Bordeaux, Julien Fayard honed his craft at Château Lafite Rothschild and Château Smith Haut Lafitte before moving to Napa Valley and serving as Director of Winemaking at Atelier Melka. Today he produces elegant Napa wines under his own label, consults for Purlieu and Le Pich, co-founded Azur Wines, and is a partner at Covert Estate.