Lot 199 | 2019 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 750ml

Lot 199 | 2019 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 750ml

$70/bottle under the original label

Lot 199 2019 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon comes to us from one of my Napa Valley favorite wineries for producing wines that continually punch way above their weight class.

This Cabernet retails for just under $70/bottle despite having a world class consulting winemaker, having been aged in well over 80% new French oak, produced from 40+ year-old-vines with the most recent vintage scoring 93+- to 95-point scores with critics as varied as The Wine Advocate to the San Francisco Wine Competition. I guess one of the benefits of having owned your vineyard for 40+ years is the ability to keep you prices tied more to inflation than ego. Needless to say, this is an exceptional value for a wine that will actually be approachable this Fall.

The vineyard itself is located in the west side alluvials draining off of Mount Veeder northwest of the city of Napa in the Oak Knoll appellation. Here cobbly drainage and relatively cool conditions, while problematic for commercial production in this part of the valley, are ideal for low-yielding, conscientiously produced Cabernet Sauvignon. I've long been a fan of this portion of the valley and in 2019 it performed heroically.

Despite being from a relatively cool-climate (not to mention nearly opaque), Lot 199 is remarkably open-knit and plush at a reasonable 14.8% alc. Credit many, many decades of farming experience for that.

Richly aromatic with a beautiful blackberry syrup and candied violets halo haloing crisply delineated cassis and chocolate-covered black cherry, warm river rock, a kiss of bell pepper to keep things interesting, and fresh-tilled soil with plenty of well-integrated seasoned oak. Red and black fruits are deftly-deployed over juicy, soft tannins that carry through a long, plush finish with ample flesh and plenty of verve with pretty red cassis notes echoing throughout. Classy and complex, this wine features a delicious balance between tension and hedonism.

100% Cabernet Sauvignon (96% Oak Knoll plus 4% Rutherford Cabernet we blended in for additional depth and structure).
80%+ new French oak
14.8% alc.
350 cases available
Bottled July 12th, 2021


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