2012 Hernando Cortes Mission Vineyards Winemakers Edition Red Blend Napa Valley 750 ml

Every now and then, we pull a needle out of a haystack. This is one of those times. 

Decadent, perfectly aged Napa reds from 2012—one of the most sensational vintages of this century or last—get harder and harder to find with every passing year. The values were snapped up by collectors and bargain hunters alike the minute Robert Parker declared, “It is nearly impossible to find a 2012 that is not showing well.”

VP of Wine (and unofficial Napa Mayor) Eduardo woke up the morning of his birthday with this 2012 Cabernet blend on his doorstep, along with a cryptic note from someone named “Hernando Cortés.” When he finally tasted the wine a few days later, he told us it was like finding a mint-condition 1979 Land Cruiser in grandma’s detached garage.

Especially given its jackpot-hitting price. An over-the-top blend that Eduardo dubbed “the next Prisoner,” at $19.99, the 2012 Hernando Cortés Winemakers Edition might just be the back-vintage Napa steal of the year.

When the mystery vintner eventually revealed himself as one of our more decorated winemaker friends, Eduardo instinctively secured the rest of his stock before even remembering to thank him for the bottle. The birthday boy’s special pricing meant signing away our ability to name the winemaker or the A-list vineyard sources he uses for his more recognizable Cabernet clients—but this beautiful 2012 speaks for itself.

A rich blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Syrah, Petite Sirah, and Merlot yields aromas of steeped violets and lilacs, which emerge from the wine’s captivating purple core, giving way to a wild berry cornucopia with a hint of mint. The palate is just as sumptuous, with lush layers of Mission plum, graphite, and coffee carried on an elegant tannic frame. 

In its perfect sweet spot after eight years of bottle age, this is a memorable wine that performs as generously as the vintage that sired it.

2012 was deemed miraculous by Napa winemakers not only for its purity and ripeness, but for its volume, calling to mind other great large-yield vintages like 2005 and 1986. In his 2012 report, “Napa's Cup Runneth Over,” Parker described it as “a gloriously ostentatious, charming, rich, well-balanced vintage,” while Jancis Robinson said “a banner year [with] ideal growing conditions seem likely to have produced the best vintage for decades…Virtually all varieties seem to have thrived,” and summarized 2012 as “Quality with quantity at last.”

After tasting its full bodied rusticity, our winemaker pal told Eduardo he wanted to reward this powerhouse wine with an epic name. He chose that of Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortés, who is credited with bringing wine grapes to the New World. 

Rather than navigate the legal maze of using a historical figure’s name on a wine label, he compromised with Hernando, and decided to release half of it immediately and hold on to the rest to see how it would age. Aside from the odd birthday bottle for his industry friends, that wasn’t supposed to be for another year or two. But we’ve never had much patience when it comes to wines like this, and duly convinced our friend otherwise.  

In spite of 2012’s initial bonanza, it’s getting increasingly difficult to find these wines on the market. What does remain tends to  cost a mint—2012’s The Prisoner currently averages around $100 a pop (up from its $35 release!). At $19.99, this special Winemakers Edition red might be one of the last true 2012 windfalls.