2014 Bennett Lane Maximus Red Feasting Wine Napa Valley 750 ml

Pleasure. The joy of the feast. As Napa Valley Cabernet lovers, this is what drives the hunt: finding a bold, full-bodied, downright hedonistic red from America’s most prestigious wine region but doesn’t cost $100+ is harder than ever. Finding a mature one that’s ready to drink? That’s an even greater challenge.

Thankfully, we’re giving you the line on the 2014 Bennett Lane Maximus Red Feasting—a Cabernet Sauvignon made from prime Calistoga and St. Helena fruit, and with almost eight years of age. It’s drinking perfectly, with notes of poached plums cradled in layers of chocolate and tobacco with a hint of mint.

Dubbed “Maximus” by the creator of The Prisoner—and Bennett Lane founding winemaker—Dave Phinney, the wine is named for the fourth-century Roman emperor Magnus Maximus. Winery owners Randy and Lisa Lynch collect coins, and each of their wines features an image of a Roman ruler.

Phinney passed the baton to Napa Valley veteran Rob Hunter in 2005. Hunter is an experienced alum of Groth—he was on the winemaking team that earned Napa’s first perfect 100-point score from Robert Parker for the 1985 Reserve Cabernet—as well as Robert Keenan Winery, Lyeth, Markham, and Sterling.

Maximus is made from the Lynches’ estate Cabernet Sauvignon in Calistoga, and also includes a small percentage of Syrah from Atlas Peak. Most of the vineyard sources for this wine are from the northernmost corner of the Napa Valley, in St. Helena and Calistoga.

All the boxes are ticked: A terrific vintage. Prime vineyard sources at the top of Napa Valley. A winemaker with over 30 Napa harvests under his belt. Bold, exuberant fruit that slowly reveals its sun-drenched Calistoga origins. Maximus has it all.