2015 Chad Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Napa Valley 750 ml

Chad Delivers: Napa Cabernet Reserve Beauty

Once again, Chad delivers — in fact, in the low-yielding 2015 vintage he OVER-delivers. How he was able to craft a beautifully polished Napa Cabernet Reserve with exceptional fruit from a vintage that saw prices everywhere in wine country skyrocket is mind-boggling. The answer of course, lies in his deep connections with Napa’s blue-chip estates — relationships he’s fostered since 2009. Compared to the $110 Cabernets that are produced by the source of Chad’s 2015 grapes, his black-fruited, powerful and decadent Reserve Cabernet easily stands shoulder-to-shoulder. And at $29.99 per bottle — A LAST CALL — we’re convinced this is Chad’s greatest feat ever. The wine will evolve brilliantly for those with enough patience to hold bottles between now and 2025. Do not miss this as it may be your last chance.

As we sipped his inky, purple-hued 2015 Reserve, Chad held his hands up so that they were almost touching. “THIS close,” he said. “That’s about how close I was to missing out on this wine.” We swirled, appreciating the deep, dark fruit notes wafting from the glass, and kept listening. “As you know, 2015 was a short crop in the Valley, and I wasn’t the only one looking for juice. One of Napa’s best blue-chip estates — we’re talking a Parker favorite — was in the running for this lot. My cell phone was on the fritz and I almost missed the winery’s message. I was first, Parker’s buddies were next. I called back just in time. Thank goodness, this one’s a gem.” Chad’s 2015 Reserve is polished and superbly aromatic, revealing layers of blueberry, black cherry, and bramble, accented by violet and mocha, all bolstered by Atlas Peak muscle and power — an outstanding offering.

As usual, a lengthy NDA has our lips sealed as to the name and exact location of the producer that offered Chad this stunning fruit. What we can tell you is this: Back in October of 2016, when the estate called him, Chad had a chance to taste almost every barrel in the winery. As Chad would tell us, “The winery’s master blend was a more restrained style. Elegant and beautiful, to be sure, but not for me. The barrels they offered me were equally as elegant with terrific floral notes, but with darker fruit complexity, calling to mind the midnight hours. Powerful, polished, and ageworthy. I liked them best, and, miraculously, I got away with them!”

Though 2015 yielded a small crop in Napa, the vintage was, as Robert Parker wrote, “spectacular” and of “high quality.” Like the greatest wines of the vintage, Chad’s 2015 Reserve was beautifully structured the day we tasted it, and just like those top bottles, it will continue to improve for years to come. LAST CHANCE!

Jonathan Cristaldi

Editor-in-Chief, Wine Access