2014 GKG Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 750 ml

The Chance Meeting of a Lifetime

One of Napa Valley’s most iconic Cabernet Sauvignons — Silver Oak — provided the chance meeting of a lifetime for Greg Gorman and Dave Phinney, founder of The Prisoner. In Robert Parker’s glowing 94-point review of the wine Gorman and Phinney made together (today’s 2014 GKG Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley) he called it “beautiful, supple” loved its “silky tannins” and “oodles of ripe blue and black fruits,” further gushing of its “layered, full-bodied,” and “delicious” flavors. While Parker is right on the money with his tasting note, interestingly enough he has his facts wrong. Dave Phinney most assuredly made the wine, and we have confirmed there is no Malbec in the blend. If you’re a fan of Phinney’s Mercury Head (as Gorman is) but can’t get your hands on an allocation, consider this your chance to enjoy a wine crafted in its likeness. Our tiny allocation, of this limited-production 2014 GKG will most assuredly disappear in a flash. No dawdling.

The 2014 GKG Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon demonstrates why iconic Hollywood venues like Château Marmont and Spago reserve space on their wine list for Dave Phinney, the Napa phenom Robert Parker once heralded as “one of the more creative young minds in all of the world’s winedom.” Equipped with a remarkably layered lushness, silky supple tannins, and powerfully bold fruit, this is a snapshot of 2014’s remarkable vintage at its apex. Phinney and GKG proprietor, vintner, and photography legend Greg Gorman, initially worked together when Gorman was asked to shoot the label for Phinney’s iconic Papillon. Gorman was no stranger to wines — he’d gotten into Barolos and Super Tuscans (and was a big fan of Phinney’s Mercury Head) while working on the film “Tootsie” thanks to a limitless spending account — and happily took the gig. Gorman and Phinney clicked, and their collaboration found its way inside the bottle about a year later.

Wine Spectator has called 2014 a “dream vintage, with quality along the lines of 2012 and 2013.” Phinney and Gorman poured every nuance possible from this near-fantasy harvest into the 2014 GKG Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. See what the fuss is about for yourself.