2006 Kathryn Kennedy "Estate" Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon (Winery Direct Library Release)

Aging gracefully, the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate from Kathryn Kennedy sport a still vibrant ruby color with just a touch of lightening at the rim. Graphite, vanilla bean, currants, cured meats and hints of chocolate all emerge from this medium to full-bodied, supple, layered and gorgeously polished Cabernet. Possessing fine tannin, a solid mid-palate, and beautiful length, it's drinking beautifully today, with a great mix of fruit and secondary aromas and flavors, but it will keep for another decade. (JD)

This wine is absolute magic in a bottle - a simply stunning, perfectly aged, world-class Cabernet Sauvignon that can stand toe-to-toe with any challenger. Its local competition would be neighboring Ridge Monte Bello or Mount Eden, and I would happily put this wine side-by-side with an aged Monte Bello without hesitation. It would have no problem rising to the challenge. Run it against the most famous names from Napa Valley, too. Trust me, this is as good as aged California Cabernet gets, period. This is a truly unprecedented opportunity to offer a 20-year-old library release with incredible historical pedigree from one of the most unique and singular vineyards in the country. The price we’re offering is almost too good to be true - $150 less per bottle than the wine is currently selling for elsewhere. I recently drank a bottle of this wine with my family and was floored by the quality, and by the absolutely perfect stage of development it has reached. After 20 years in bottle, the wine still has beautifully rich, pure Cabernet fruit, but it also shows the suave and sophisticated complexity that can only come from graceful aging. The once-formidable mountain tannins are now silky, elegant, and perfectly resolved. Since the 1970s, Kathryn Kennedy’s postage-stamp vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains has been renowned for powerful, age-worthy, Bordeaux-inspired Cabernet Sauvignon. Since 1981, Kathryn’s son Marty has been crafting the wines, and after Kathryn’s passing in 2009, he continued the legacy of producing exceptional wines from this small but mighty terroir. K&L has long carried these wines. A quick check of our database shows SKUs going all the way back to the 1970s and 1980s. I have known Marty personally since 2010 and have always admired the way he continues to honor his mother’s legacy, producing wines of integrity and quality above all else. Recently, Marty and I struck a deal to sell some parcels of library wine at extra-sharp pricing. I asked him which vintages he thought were particularly compelling right now, and he immediately suggested 2006 as one of the favorite wines of his long career. The bottle he sent me confirmed what I already knew would be a heartfelt recommendation, and here we are with today’s offer. If you enjoy beautifully aged Cabernet, be it from Napa, Bordeaux, or anywhere else, you have to try this wine. If you already know the wines of Kathryn Kennedy and saw the price, you’ve likely already filled your cart. Do not miss this opportunity: perfect provenance, a 20-year library release, and once-in-a-lifetime pricing. Enjoy!