2015 Karo-Kann Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

Mathematics. Nine times out of ten, $25 Napa Cabs don’t spend any time in real barrels. Those oaky notes are from chips and staves. If there’s any acid backbone at all it’s probably from store-bought tartaric acid. But delivering the outlying, extraordinary wines, every time, is what we do here at Wine Access. 

The 2015 Karo-Kann Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley is not only real, it’s highly pedigreed, sourced from one of Rutherford’s premier estates, founded in the 1960s. Their Cabernets sell for $100-175 and routinely earn praise like, “dark, plush and inviting” and “supple-textured.” No, we can’t tell you who—a strict NDA is half the reason we were able to acquire it, the other half, Napa knowhow and a lot of longstanding relationships. When growers have more fruit than they can bottle, we are often the first people they call. 

In our audacious attempt to deliver the highest quality Karo-Kann at the lowest price ever, we took things a step further. We adopted the aging regimen of America’s #1 steakhouse wine, cellaring our prime juice in 25% new French oak for a total of 22 months—you might as well call it a reserve. After it was bottled we resolved to sit on the 2015 Karo-Kann until it began to show the developed flavors that we all covet, but rarely have the patience to wait for. 

The result is the finest, pre-aged and ready-to-drink Karo-Kann we’ve ever made, at the lowest price we’ve ever offered. It’s an anomaly in the best possible way and begs for purchasing by the case...or two. 

In the glass, the 2015 Karo-Kann Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley is pure garnet in hue. The aromatics show the wisdom of age right off the bat, weaving tobacco and savory herbs together with dried dark cherries and blackcurrant. On the palate, cassis emerges layered with licorice and a black olive note kissed with brown spice, vanilla, and clove from almost two years in French oak. The texture is now silky and refined but still weighty, and the finish is long, with lingering mineral and umami notes.

It’s a whole world in a glass, multiple worlds even, originating from pedigreed Napa Valley fruit treated with the utmost care and allowed to develop at a slow and inviting pace. Now it has bloomed to a whole new level of complexity and sophistication. 

This is more than a steal, it’s a statement. The name Karo-Kann is a tribute to the world-famous chess maneuver. The strategy—like most of chess—centers around making the perfect move for the long game, and Karo-Kann wines are the result of decades of strategy. By putting the wines first and picking our spots we are able to deliver what most don’t think is possible—a value Napa Cabernet that is true, thoughtfully crafted, and delicious.