The third and final wine in this first release of Anonymous shows the real power of this program. Fruit from two of the most highly renowned, critically acclaimed vineyards in all of Napa Valley. Both have strict NDAs controlling the use of their names. Both sites have produced 100-point wines. Despite these vineyards typically being bottled as flagship, single-vineyard designates, this producer actually blends these two world-class vineyards into this barrel selection, super cuvée. Eighty-five percent of this wine comes from a renowned site in eastern Rutherford. The remainder of the wine comes from a vineyard in Yountville, on an alluvial fan of gravel right at the foot of the Mayacamas Mountains. This vineyard has become highly sought after by many of the most celebrated cult wineries in Napa Valley. This is bold, rich, powerful Napa Cab. It combines the warmth, ripeness, and lush mid-palate of Rutherford fruit with the more finessed, perfumed, lifted fruit from the cooler Yountville site. Raised for two years in a new French oak. This is a powerhouse, but there’s beautiful refinement and polish here, too.

This is the third wine in the series that I tasted this morning (9 April). This one definitely has a quite huge wow(!) factor. Even pouring it is interesting. It literally clings to the side of the glass. The powerful nose is full of rich dark fruit scents with ripe berries and a heady scent of cedar that reminds me of my mom's old Hope chest. You have to be of a certain age to be familiar with that scent! On the palate, there is a very upfront taste of red cassis, milk chocolate, mildly tart tannin and very light herbs. The finish is long with the cedarwood coming through with nice bits of earth. Easy to drink but also has a nice complexity to balance the lush fruits. Like its siblings, it is a superb buy!

As the Bordeaux buyer, I can't say that this is the best buy in Cabernet on today's market, but beyond the Banks of the Gironde, this is certainly it. On the nose, it is pure Cabernet, with cassis, gravel, plum, and unmistakable Napa character. But what really impresses me is how it deftly navigates bold, rich flavor with a brightness—it is concentrated but does not come across as heavy. This is one of those Napa classics that is an amazing asset to have around—high-caliber Cabernet goodness that you don't have to think twice about when pulling the cork. If you knew the vineyard sources in question, perhaps it would change the conversation. But at this kind of pricing, it is too easy to treat yourself to Napa Cabernet royalty for a song.