2016 Buoncristiani Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

High-end Napa Valley Cabernet is awe inspiring. There’s no other way to put it. The best bottles are refreshing in their boldness and mesmerizing in depth—they’ll stop you in your tracks, and then send you on a journey you’ll never forget. 

But all high-end Cabs aren't created equal, and today we're thrilled to share a wine that overdelivers, even in the company of top-scoring wines and favorites at Michelin-starred restaurants worldwide: The 2016 Buoncristiani Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley is a super-premium Cabernet that has earned its price tag and then some. We've known winemaker Jay Buoncristiani for almost 18 years now, and in that span we've seen him named a “rising star of Napa Cab” by Wine Spectator’s James Laube, and go on to earn multiple 95+ scores from Wine Advocate, including a 98-100 pointer at Krupp Brothers. 

By his count, and ours, this 2016 is one of the best wines he’s ever produced. Even amongst the best Napa Cabs, this stands out. Its vineyard sources are unparalleled and iconic, counting Stagecoach and Howell Mountain’s Ink Grade among them. Robert Parker hailed the wine’s “mouth-filling black fruits and spicy layers with a very long, perfumed finish,” while Jeb Dunnuck added, “it builds nicely with time in the glass and is a beautiful, elegant, oh, so classic wine.” 

The story of how we first tried Jay’s classic Cab begins last May when we bumped into each other at Auction Napa Valley. The scene was a who's who of Napa’s winemaking elite, with cases of Screaming Eagle, Harlan, and Dalla Valle stacked to the ceiling. Still, the best part of the evening came later in the night. After the auction we joined Jay and a few other winemakers at Cole’s Chop House. 

While our man Eduardo Dingler served as global beverage director at Morimoto, he poured many of Jay’s outstanding Cabernets at locations in Napa, Maui, Waikiki, and South Beach. Suffice it to say, when Jay produced two bottles of his 2016 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon after the auction, we knew exactly what to order for the table—one 21-day dry-aged New York steak, one bone-in Angus cowboy ribeye, a Creekstone Farms natural petite filet mignon (the most heavenly seven ounces ever) and a few heaping sides of Yukon Gold mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, and shoestring onion rings. 

Ever the gracious host, Jay invited two guests to join us for a glass as he popped the corks on his 2016. Pouring generously into the oversized Cole’s stemware, Jay’s wine showed a deep ruby core, leading to a magenta-flecked rim. As we swirled our glasses, the immense bouquet burst forth, loaded with ripe dark fruit and layered with purple flowers, dried mountain herbs, mocha, tobacco, and graphite. The palate was equally complex, rich, and finely textured, showing the muscular finesse characteristic of the 2016 vintage in Napa. 

That night, the restaurant closed at 11pm but we stayed long after, savoring the evolution of Jay’s stunning 2016. We didn’t even have to ask him about an allocation for Wine Access members. He asked us. Knowing full well that restaurants like Morimoto and the Michelin-starred Plumed Horse would be knocking on his door for bottles, Jay still offered us a small allocation for the Wine Access faithful. “Friends first,” he smiled. What a guy.