2015 Olivia Edmund Blue Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

Usually we’re the ones who stumble across hidden gems or discover under-the-radar bottles with killer quality-price-ratios, which we then deliver to you come hell or high water. But occasionally it works the other way around. Such was the case with the supple, boysenberry-laced 2015 Olivia Edmund Blue Cabernet Sauvignon—a throwback to the expertly crafted Napa Cabs of the 1970s, big and powerful yet superbly well-proportioned and above all, a statement of place.

A Wine Access regular put us on to Olivia Edmund, and we’ve since realized that the brand has a devoted following among the ranks of smart California red drinkers, who have filled blog posts with praise. Thanks to our buying power, we were able to secure this bold, velvety-smooth beauty at a dream discount—40% off the list price of $125. 

Jason is one of our most prolific customer review writers, turning in some 400 reviews and star ratings in the years he’s been buying from us. We’ve come to rely on him as our vox populi—when he tells us that he really, really likes something, it tends to go bonkers across the board. His specialty is value Napa Cabs, and from what we’ve heard, he’s put together a collection worth several thousand dollars more than he paid for it.

He sent a note the other week to Kate, our head of client services, and mentioned that he and a couple of buddies had blind-tasted a series of 2015 Napa Cabs culled from their cellars. They ended up with a surprise favorite: the 2015 Olivia Edmund Blue Cabernet Sauvignon. 

“It reminds me of early Clos du Val or Mayacamas—the kinds of wines that put Napa on the map in the Judgement of Paris. Big, bold, beautiful fruit expression, but not over-extracted, and with a touch of that green freshness—mint, maybe a touch of fir. Already delicious but clearly built for the long haul.” The list price was a little too rich for his bargain-minded tastes, he said, but if we could ever get it at a deal, he’d be ecstatic.

When we finally got our hands on a sample bottle, we got what he was talking about. There’s a sculpted power here, and freshness that is Napa’s birthright when it comes to New World reds. For a Cabernet collector looking to fill out their cellar without breaking the bank, this offer is a double blessing, as many of you have been telling us about the 2015-sized gap in your cellars—a product of a small volume year, with yields down 30 to 35%. It’s a shame because the 2015 Napa Cabs are, as Vinous’s Antonio Galloni put it, “stunningly beautiful.”

At just $55 per bottle, this crowd favorite promises to be one of the best values you’ll ever see from a vintage that was limited to begin with, and is becoming more so every year. Jason, we’ll look for our thank you card in the mail!