2012 Michel Rolland Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

Michel Rolland has been responsible for consulting on some of the top wines in the world—Angélus, Ausone, Pavie, and Pontet-Canet in Bordeaux, as well as iconic Napa estates such as Bond, Bryant Family, Harlan, and Staglin. From France to Argentina to Napa Valley and Tuscany, his vision and deft hand have helped turn good producers into great ones, and great ones into legends.

Rolland applies the same expertise and vision to his own wine, and this 2012 Michel Rolland “MR” Cabernet Sauvignon is his blockbuster effort. 95 points from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate which called it “full-bodied” and “well-endowed” in style, and boasting of a “40+-second finish.” Like so many Napa Cabernet gems, this is a rarity—just two and a half barrels were produced! 

Few people have had a greater impact on high-end wine over the course of the past quarter century than Michel Rolland. The internationally renowned wine consultant has arguably had as great an impact on the world of wine as we know it today as Robert Parker Jr.: As an arbiter of taste, and as a name whose authority is never really questioned, Rolland has been working at the apex of the wine world for decades.

And he brings that impeccable taste to his own wine as well, the Michel Rolland “MR” Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, which he makes in tiny quantities at the Alpha Omega winery. 

This is not one to miss—a library selection dubbed “a world-class Cabernet Sauvignon” by the venerable Wine Advocate publication, which further lauded its “fleshy, succulent, pure, well-endowed style.” It’s almost pure Cabernet Sauvignon, with just 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, and it comes from some of the most iconic vineyards in Napa, including Beckstoffer Dr. Crane, Beckstoffer To Kalon, Stagecoach—names that typically get the heart rates of wine-lovers racing. And with good reason.

This particular vintage, now six years in the bottle, is undoubtedly coming into its own. We swooned over its copious black and blueberry fruit, warm baking spice, spicy lift, and astounding depth. Opening a bottle now provides intense rewards, but so will holding onto it for another decade or longer. Whenever you choose to enjoy this gem, the rewards will be staggering. There’s a reason Michel Rolland is respected all over the world of wine, and popping the cork on this 2012 MR will show you why.