2014 Humanitas George's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

Sometimes it really does pay to be in the room where it happened, and a 38% off deal on a perfectly cellared single-vineyard Napa Cabernet like this 2014 Humanitas is the kind of windfall that can only be secured behind closed Napa Valley doors.

We were positively entranced by this wine’s lush, powerful structure at its $65 price. It was a knockout among the reigning Napa heavyweights on the table that go for twice that, which is why even we couldn’t quite believe we landed it for this price.

A deep, dense ruby core signals the 2014 Humanitas Cabernet’s command, before enveloping the senses in generous black fruit and dark chocolate perfume threaded with graphite mineral and purple floral tones. At once rich and seductive, the palate is where this wine flaunts its perfect maturity, with classic cassis and plum deepened with dark cocoa, coffee, bacon-wrapped date, and an exotic touch of vanilla. The generous tannin structure promises to preserve all that intrigue for at least another decade.

We discovered this prodigious, perfectly aged stunner at a holiday reunion last season. Our distributor buddy Steve had gathered a group of friends that included Master Sommeliers, top vintners, and some of the Valley’s most renowned wine collectors to share some end-of-year cellar treasures. It was an embarrassment of riches, yet Steve puckishly set this mysterious 2014 Cab in the lineup alongside some of Napa Valley’s most iconic producers.

Steve’s palate is legendary, so we knew he was out to prove something delicious. Sure enough, with its gorgeous structure and thrilling complexity, everyone agreed that it stood shoulder to shoulder with the very best of Napa in more than just bottle height.

“It’s just too bad the winery recently sold,” Steve sighed, pouring himself another glass while giving us a wink.

That was our cue to lag behind after the other guests made their eventual exit. Over a fresh bottle (that we no longer had to share between a dozen other people), he told us how this 2014 Humanitas George’s Vineyard had been intended as a mailing list-only wine. When the winery sold, Steve snapped up all the 2014 Cabernet for a song. “Interested?” he asked. 

The wine must have enhanced even our practiced negotiation skills while truly diminishing Steve’s because the price we settled on was truly ridiculous—and made increasingly so the more we learned about the wine.

Sourced from a single vineyard in Wooden Valley in Napa’s southeast Vaca Range, this 2014 Cab was raised in neighboring terroir of 95+ point estates like Kenzo, Jarvis, and Altamura. It was expertly helmed by Rob Lloyd, who cut his teeth with renowned winemakers like Kent Rasmussen, and spent years at Rombauer where he perfected his craft, achieving international accolades in the process.

The wine reaped the benefits of 22 months in oak barrels and now—with six years of development in the bottle—is drinking just about perfectly, though we’d expect nothing less from a Napa Valley vintage that James Suckling summarized as “one of its best years in the last two decades.”

We lagged behind to secure our discount of 38% on this striking single-vineyard Napa Cab so you can get ahead of the game. After all, once this 2014 Humanitas is gone, it’s gone for good.