2023 Anonymous Wine Collective Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Oh my, this bottling turned out even better than I expected...and I had high expectations to begin with! The idea of crafting a great bottle of $20 Napa Valley Cabernet in this day and age is almost impossible...almost. But what if you go one of the OG winemakers who helped put Napa Cab on the map. A man who has worked in First Growth Chateaux in Bordeaux, and who has four decades of experience in Napa Valley. A man who knows the lay of land intimately. Who knows where to get great fruit without paying top dollar. Well, that's exactly what we did. This 2023 Cabernet is sourced from a single vineyard high in the Vaca Mountains. The rocky, volcanic soils produce powerful, concentrated fruit, that is bursting with blackberry and cassis, but true to this winemaker's more classically aligned style, also captures some of the finer varietal characters with hints of mint, cedar, pencil lead and subtle tobacco leaf. The wine is aged in entirely seasoned French oak. Without any new barrels the oak is very subtle and just delicately frames the wonderful purity of fruit. For a mountain-grown Cab the texture is nicely polished, but it still has sneaky power under the refined fruit and fine tannins. Put this in a blind tasting and you won't believe it's a $20 bottle...oh, that's because it's not, this winemaker's Cabs routinely sell for $80-$90+ and it's only through our Anonymous Wine Collective agreement that we can bring this rockstar Cab to you at such a modest price. Don't be afraid to case up here, this wine will easily age 8-10 years comfortably, maybe longer in a cold cellar. This has to be a contender for best value so far in the Anonymous range...it's flat-out ridiculous for this price!