2016 Donati Family Vineyard Claret Paicines Central Coast California 750 ml

One Tuesday this past autumn, we received a text from a distributor friend with a vague, urgent message to call her as soon as we could. “Trust me,” it ended, “this is the real deal.” Knowing her track record as a sort of Indiana Jones of grapes, with an uncanny knack for finding wines that collectors dream about at prices that are hard to believe, we got right back to her. An hour later we were sitting across from each other at Oxbow Market in downtown Napa with a bottle of the 2016 Donati Family Vineyard Claret between us.

We couldn’t believe what she told us: A distributor had requested the entire allocation of the Donati Family’s 2016 Claret, a silken and full-bodied red bursting with blackberry, cassis, and plum, balanced by gentle yet persistent tannins. Then, weeks later, disappeared. Now, the Donatis were searching for the right partner—someone with access to lovers of great Cabernets and red blends...

We took another sip: Deeply evocative aromas of black fruit, cedar, and tobacco were reminiscent of classic Bordeaux clarets, yet its sun-kissed flavors tinged with cola, cocoa, and savory herbs were proof of its Golden State origins. No wonder James Suckling called it “well-structured” and “sleek.” Cab-based blends like this typically cost twice as much, but we’re offering it for under $20 per bottle, putting it firmly in house-red territory.

The Donati Claret is grown in the Paicines AVA, a little-known appellation in the Central Coast 27 miles east of the Monterey Bay. Mount Harlan, where Calera grows its famous Pinot Noir, is due west, and the Chalone appellation is just to the south, on the other side of the mountains. The location is absolutely perfect, and the neighbors are legends in their own right.

Donati’s history and the origin of their 2016 Claret is straight out of California’s storybook past. The town of Paicines consists of a single building—this is a one-structure town, with far more horses than buildings—in which the local post office, general store, and Mexican restaurant all share space. The focus, instead, is on agriculture, and Paicines is finally making a name for itself in the California wine community.

The conditions are perfect for a unique expression of the Central Coast. It’s a sweeping, open place with few trees and lots of cows. Because it’s right over the Gabilan Mountains that form the eastern edge of the Salinas Valley, east-west channels allow the maritime influence of the Monterey Bay to provide cooling breezes. While daytime temperatures can rise past 100, ripening every last berry in the bunches, the cool air that’s channeled into Paicines drops nighttime temperatures into the 50s. As a result, the grapes grown there have a serious sense of tension and structure.

Donati Family VIneyard is one of the leading lights in the appellation’s rise, and has earned placements on prestigious wine lists across the country, including Oxbow Tavern in New York City, the Capital Grille, Lux Bar in Chicago, and more.

Winemaker Briana Heywood has captured that energy in the 2016 Claret for a wine that’s priced to be your house red, but that has the structure to age gracefully for another five to ten years. All of that for value red is rare enough in general, but to find a truly great and age-worthy Cab blend at this price from California is as close to a wine miracle as we’ve seen recently.

California Cabernet blends have been climbing in price for years, and coup’s like this one don’t come along often… and we’re thrilled the Donati distributor came up short. The ‘16 proves that head-spinning values still exist, and this offer is the perfect way to savor all that this top producer, and this still-hidden appellation, have to offer. Thank goodness we answered that text as quickly as we did.