2014 Chad Proprietary Red Blend 750 ml

Chad’s Blockbuster Super Cuvée from Spectator’s “Dream Vintage”

We agreed to meet Chad at the Oxbow Market in Napa to taste what he called his “super cuvée.” He had arrived ahead of us, and was seated at a table near the Fieldwork Brewing Company, having a Pilsner and polishing Riedel glasses.

In all our years tasting with Chad, he’d never been early, let alone polished a glass. Was Chad... nervous? We were excited.

He got right down to business. “I’m not a gambling man,” he said. “But if I find a few bucks on the ground, I buy a lotto ticket. And 2014 was nearly as big a harvest as 2013.”

“By the summer of ‘15, I was set to do my blending,” Chad explained. “When I charted it all out, I could see 2014 was more abundant than I thought — and every lot shined! So I decided to put some of my best fruit aside to make a super cuvée. I ‘rolled the dice,’ as you guys would put it. Let me know if I hit the jackpot.”

As Chad poured the dark elixir into our glasses, we nudged him for the details. But he shot us down, as usual: “Not a chance. NDAs up and down the valley.” Then he started dropping hints. “It’s the best of the best from Napa to Angwin.”

Most of the fruit, we learned, was sourced from Howell Mountain, planted by a grower who has at least “a dozen 100-pointers to his name from this fruit alone, and his clients make mailing-list-only, triple-digit Cabs.” Chad added, “Inky black juice just oozed out of the tiny mountain berries off this lot. Thick skins gave me powerful, robust tannins. The same fruit from this estate goes into the $400 a pop flagship Cabernet.”

Chad told us two other sites — one planted in the eastern foothills of the Vaca Mountains, at the foot of Atlas Peak, and one along the eastern side of Highway 29 between St. Helena and Yountville — have yielded more than a few 100 pointers.

Napa’s 2014 vintage had a chorus of critics nodding in unison — Robert Parker called it “another superlative year.” Wine Spectator labeled it a “dream vintage.” And Antonio Galloni called it “exceptional” with “very high quality.” The 2014 Chad Proprietary Red Blend earns all those accolades — and then some.

Swirled in our glasses, Chad’s super cuvée showed opaque ruby. Mouthwatering aromas of black cherry, plum, and licorice leap from the glass, tinged with sagebrush and hints of cocoa nibs. Bold, rich, and explosive on the attack, featuring a lavish mix of blackberry, mountain blueberry, and fleshy plum fruits. A dazzling, lengthy finish reveals cigar box, sandalwood, dried red florals, and cedar spice. Drink now for its youthful opulence, or give the wine’s powerfully structured dusty and chocolaty Howell Mountain tannins a few years in the cellar.  

“Jackpot,” we said, and Chad visibly relaxed.

“I made 325 cases,” he said, grinning ear to ear. “It’s all a mix of Parker’s favorites, and if this fruit had gone into the winery’s own labels, I calculated it would retail for at least $175 a bottle.”

Knowing we’d be able to offer this to WineAccess members for a fraction of that price tag, we locked into every bottle. Elsewhere: $175 and up. Cut from the same cloth, only $24.99 per bottle for Chad’s super cuvée — ONLY on WineAccess. Shipping included on 6.