2016 Idiosyncrasy Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Napa Valley 750 ml

We’re a pretty competitive bunch at Wine Access—always vying to bring the best deal to the table—and nothing brings out our cutthroat instincts like the chance to load up on one of the most successful under-$40 Napa Cabernets we’ve ever offered.

Pound for pound, the Julien Fayard-crafted 2016 Idiosyncrasy Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve offers more value in one bottle than you can find almost anywhere else in this AVA of blue-chip offerings. The brooding aromatics, silken tannins, and rich palate of blackberry compote, tobacco, and vanilla are the kind of tantalizing qualities that Napa Cab loyalists shell out the big bucks for. Cashmere-smooth and full-bodied, it’s almost too easy to drink, yet has the stature to cellar effortlessly.

This very same wine retails elsewhere in the U.S. for $63. But you’ll pay just $30 per bottle for the Reserve Cabernet that has lit a fire in our customer feedback inbox over the past year.

“Will age for many years. Incredible depth and length on the aftertaste.”

“Fantastic Cab, I loved it!”

“Would purchase more if offered at a later date (and there is room in my cellar!)”

Wine Access member reviews like these have wedged this release firmly among the top ten favorite under-$40 Napa Cabernets our customers have rated. The skill is all Fayard’s, a Cabernet whisperer with a résumé of gold: He honed his craft at Château Lafite and Château Smith Haut Lafitte in Bordeaux and Dalla Valle and Lail in Napa. But we helped engineer the pricing by cutting out the middleman and leaning on our network of connections to score the best under-the-radar grapes from the incredible 2016 vintage.  

Early last year, when we were revisiting a number of 2016 Cabernets in a blind lineup to determine our favorite, our CEO Joe promised that whichever bottle won out would be the prize in the office March Madness company pool. Not just a bottle—an entire case.

As most of you know, 2016 was a bombshell vintage whose historic quality is still being unpacked. “I believe 2016 to be the best, most consistent Napa Valley vintage among a string of great years,” declared Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate in a mic-drop statement.

Even though the bottles were encased in thin brown paper, we knew some of the greats of the season were among them, marked by dazzling aromatic intensity and voluptuousness. One bottle stood out as the favorite, clearly hitting its stride with black cherry, violets, and baking chocolate spilling out of the glass. We pulled off the brown bag: It was the 2016 Idiosyncrasy.

Suddenly our bracket picks seemed a lot more high-stakes. With the core blend hailing from northern Napa Valley, the warmth of Calistoga gives this wine its density and richness of black and blue fruits, while the altitude of the vineyard contributes freshness and structure. Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Merlot lend perfume and breadth, while an aging regimen of 25% new French oak for 22 months rounds out the complex palate with mocha and vanilla.

March Madness might not have gone as planned this year, but one thing from last year remains the same: The 2016 Idiosyncrasy is delivering National Championship-caliber Napa Valley pleasure. We’re dipping into our supply regularly, and this is your chance to claim the same stellar Cabernet—for half (and more!) off. Don’t miss the moment.