“This powerhouse Cabernet is made by superstar winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown, who has had his hand in more than 40 brands, including Schrader, Tor, and his own Rivers-Marie label.” – Robb Report

Oh, and those brands all go for a pretty penny. 🤑

So, when we catch a “powerhouse” TRB Cab in the $40s, it’s time to sound the HOT DEAL ALARM! 🚨

Ironically, this flies so under the radar that there is NO press on this vintage. Like at all. However, there are recent raves, Decanter defining it as “a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the hillsides of the Hestan Vineyards estate in Southeast Napa. Winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown makes a block selection for this Cabernet which is then aged in 21 months in 75% new French oak.” They speak of a “richly opulent” wine, as Wine Spectator echoes it’s “ripe and dense.” James Suckling adds: “a big, robust yet smooth-textured red with generous fruit flavors and enticing oak spice accents.”

All of those things are represented, and then some, in – we’re gonna call it – the BEST 2017 we recall tasting, like ever. You have to taste it to believe it… and at this price, you may as well snag as many as you can cram into your Lockers.

Back to Wine Spectator, who wrote when they put this wine on a pedestal for its Top-10 picks in 2017: “Gordon Valley, in the far southeast corner of Napa County, doesn’t yet have the renown of Oakville or Rutherford - but keep watching. Cookware tycoon Stanley Cheng’s Meyer Vineyard, bordering Solano County, is a tapestry of small blocks planted to the five principal red Bordeaux varieties. Winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown had an impressive track record in Napa Valley - well before his most recent successes with Hestan and Meyer - utilizes mature Clone 337 Cabernet vines, which he believes produce more nuanced and expressive Cabernets as the vines age.”

As Vinous originally had pointed out about the 2017 vintage, “the wines are incredibly variable and range from thrilling to washed out and diluted.” Which is why, over the past decade (hard to believe the 10th anniversary of 2017 is next year!), we have been tasting hundreds of examples and saying NO to most of them to put here in front of you, no matter how good the price may be.

And this definitely leans heavily on the “thrilling” side, especially with what age in the cellar has done to it. The aromatics are just starting to show a touch of development, but it remains very young and full of life. (Insert teaser: we also fell in love with a 2009 from Hestan, more on that one soon) It has developed just beautifully, adding layers of complexity and showcasing just as a 9-year-old Napa Valley Cabernet should. Bright, red-toned berries, gravel, licorice, scorched earth, and mocha are some of the many notes that start to emerge in the glass. The finish is ripe, round, and uplifted by a freshness that sets it apart from many a 2017. WIA is coming soon, and if this does not sell out today, we are giving you an early glimpse at the potential winner of the best aged Napa Cab category here.

TRUST US. And do not hesitate.