2015 Anderson Conn Valley Signature Cabernet Sauvignon 750 ml

Wildman Winemaker’s Secret Stash

Full disclosure: If “restraint” is one of your buzzwords, and “over-the-top” isn’t your thing, then the tiny-production 2015 Anderson's Conn Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Signature (and proprietor Todd Anderson himself!) may not be for you. 

But any fan of big Napa reds—Joseph Phelps Insignia drinkers, or Caymus loyalists ready to take a step up—should grab this powerhouse, because it’s the kind of unapologetically generous Cabernet that has made ACV a perennial hit with Wine Access members, and a darling of the critics: Wine Enthusiast deemed the 2015 Signature an “epic wine” and a 95-point Cellar Selection. Jeb Dunnuck added another 95, and the glowing 94+ from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate put it in the company of $250+ stars like Hourglass and Amuse Bouche.

Simply put, this wine is off the charts—both in personality and in quality—and belongs in the cellar of everyone who wants even more Napa Cab out of their Napa Cabs. 

As for Todd Anderson, well, we’ve spent enough time with the wildman winemaker—smoking Cohibas, blasting Metallica, and white-knuckling it in his jacked-up Humvee—that we now have two rules for visiting Anderson’s Conn Valley: Clear your schedule. And expect the unexpected. 

But when Todd introduced his 95-point 2015 Anderson's Conn Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Signature as coming from a few barrels he selected himself, well, we knew what was about to hit our glass: a towering, powerful, inky black blockbuster of a Cab. Showing a cornucopia of preserved fruits—currant jelly, blackberry pie filling, blueberry ganache, and maraschino cherries—Todd’s Signature Cabernet is laden with dark chocolate, sweet spice, and clove notes, all presented over a full body with generous oak, a stout frame, and a full, plush texture.

Todd’s 2015 selection is a 95-point dose of the Cabernet good life that, aged in 90% new French oak, has the lush core for early drinking, and the structure to last over a decade in the cellar—that’s if you can keep your hands off it. But nothing says “live in the now” like a Todd Anderson Cabernet, so if the 2015 Signature gets opened tonight, no one will blame you. 

It’s a miracle this Cabernet, meant for the winery only, ever made it out of Todd’s secret stash: He used to taste from barrels in the cellar, find his favorite, then mark it as off-limits by scrawling TODD in white chalk across the staves. But of course, visitors to the ACV cellars started asking what’s so great about the single untouchable barrel. Todd, not too eager to share but ever the kindly host, would give a taste. Eventually, the starry-eyed reactions convinced him to bottle a tiny amount for his best customers. 

That exclusive Cabernet may have evolved into Todd’s Signature Cabernet, but the project has barely grown. It now consists of a drop in the bucket: just eight barrels maximum of the ACV Cabernet that rings Todd’s bell the hardest. And if you’re into stout, black-as-night, broad-shouldered and super-structured Cabernet, it’s a guaranteed knockout for you, too. Don’t miss this chance to tap Todd’s favorite barrels.