2014 Rocca Family Vineyards Tesorina Red Wine Napa Valley 750 ml

The somm had our number that night. He had already picked a few of our old favorites and earned our praise when he raised an eyebrow and said, “What about the Tesorina Red?” We had come to Cole’s Chop House back in December to celebrate our 15th anniversary, and Richard (who’s been a Napa sommelier almost as long as we’ve been in business), was pulling greatness from the cellar. And while we all knew Rocca Family wines by reputation, none of us had had the pleasure.

Historically, the Rocca Family Vineyards Tesorina Red, a classically styled Napa Cab with a miniscule production, has been reserved for crème de la crème on-premise locations. Premiere Napa spots like La Toque, The French Laundry, and Bottega favor its opulent fruit and fine-grained tannins, and tend to hoover the allocation. But the stars aligned on this one.

We got in touch with the Rocca folks next day, and as luck would have it, the timing was perfect. We're currently able to offer the Tesorina Red to our members at the lowest price in the country—nearly 40% off the standard $160.

According to winemaker Paul Colantuoni, 2014 marked the third year in a row that Yountville and Coombsville produced epic fruit for era-defining wines. Rocca only bottles the Tesorina Red, their flagship wine made exclusively from their oldest vines of Cabernet Sauvignon, in the absolute best of times. And for many, 2014 represents the best of the best. 

"This is stunning stuff," wrote Robert Parker on his way to scoring it 96 points. "A quintessential 2014 thanks to its irresistible charm and lushness."

But while the wine hails from two of the most highly sought-after AVAs in California, the Rocca name has flown under the radar for a lot of would-be fans. In Napa, it's seen as a winemaker's wine. Full of character and not overly concerned with the marketing glitz. All the more reason we're glad to finally widen its audience, even if only by a few.

Colantuoni got his first big break as a winemaker working under Ehren Jordan at Neyers, after meandering through Tuscany and Châteauneuf-du-Pape for a few years. That blend of experience at the heights of both European and American tradition resonates through the wines he makes at Rocca, where he's been since 2008. The Tesorina foregrounds its assertive, California nature while upholding a reverence for Bordeaux subtlety. 

Tesorina translates from Italian as "little treasure." It's a nod to that collision of old and new, like a found object that transcends its place and time. 

The wine is dark in color—like blueberry and blackberry dark—from rim to core. There's an opening violet aroma that gives way to the warmth of baking spices. As the palate develops, the opulent layers of sun-ripened berries and plums evolve to reveal its deep internal structure: fresh-roasted espresso beans and that oh-so-elusive pencil lead quality to draw out the finest edges. Clocking in at over 15% ABV, the Tesorina's large frame is proportional to the fine, dusty tannins that support it. Like all great wines, the last sip is the best and leaves you wanting another. 

On that fateful night at Cole’s, celebrating among friends and family, looking back on the mountain we'd climbed and yet already turning to the long view ahead, we felt that way, like we'd found something truly special and only hoped we could find a bit more.