2016 Kinfolk Reserve Red Wine Napa Valley 750 ml

Crafted exclusively for Wine Access members, the 2016 Kinfolk Reserve Red Wine Napa Valley is one of the top wines ever bottled under the Kinfolk label. And as is always the case with Kinfolk winemaker Britt Nichols’ member-favorite releases, we had to take a vow of silence and promise to never divulge where these spectacular grapes came from. 

We can tell you that the flagship wine that’s made from the same vineyard source earned a perfect score from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, who gushed, “If [they] could give more than 100 for this one, [they] would.”

That quality shows in every sip of the 2016 Kinfolk Reserve Red: The first time Britt brought us a sample, we were stunned by its intense aromas of blackberries and blueberries complicated by notes of chocolate, pie spice, and violets. The dense palate drips with black fruit and mocha, and boasts a subtle herbal lift. 

The 2016 Kinfolk Reserve Red Wine is a quintessential Napa Valley reserve-level wine in all but price. At $28 per bottle, it’s far below the norm for this kind of wine. A single bottle of the source vineyard’s flagship red, in fact, costs well above $125.

In many ways, this wine was nearly a decade in the making. Kinfolk is anchored by the relationships that Britt has built up over a lifetime in the wine business. When word got out that the legendary producer that grew these grapes had some remaining after they’d completed their blends, every winemaker in Napa began clamoring for them.

Fortunately for Wine Access members, Britt had known the grower for eight years. And because of her reputation as a winemaker who respects top-quality fruit better than anyone, she was the first call the grower made. He knew that Britt would allow the vineyard itself to shine through, and showcase that amazing land in a fresh light.

That’s what Britt has always excelled at: Getting a great price on some of the best grapes in California wine country, and transforming them into wines that collectors clamor for.

The vineyard where these grapes were grown is a dry-farmed expanse of clay loam and gravel in the Mayacamas foothills, and it reached its peak in 2016. It’s a vintage that Antonio Galloni praised as “fabulous” in Vinous, noting that the wines “impress with their dazzling aromatic presence, finesse and nuance.” He heaped special praise on the Cabs of the vintage, calling them “gorgeous wines endowed with striking aromatic intensity, nuance and depth.”

That perfectly describes the 2016 Kinfolk Reserve Red Wine, a blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, with a bit of Petit Verdot, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc added for even further complexity. The wine spent 22 months in French oak, which has given it a seductive, silky texture, yet because only 25% of the barrels were new, the spice and wood tannins are in perfect balance.

Only 250 cases were produced, and if previous Kinfolk offers are any guide, they won’t last long at all. When Britt got the call from the grower asking if she wanted these grapes, she jumped at the opportunity and didn’t look back. It was a brilliant decision. We recommend doing the same with the wine she has crafted from it.