2016 Moone-Tsai Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

Elegant, Polished, and Rare Napa Cab

My first sip of Moone-Tsai wasn’t in a gorgeous vineyard or tasting room, but during a routine tasting when I worked at Napa’s iconic Tra Vigne restaurant. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes during the early morning appointment, Moone-Tsai shocked me: A single sip sent me reeling with blackberry, luscious plum, and cassis flavors, all wrapped in an absolutely silken, perfectly balanced package. It didn’t matter that it was 9:00 AM, I didn’t spit that taste out—I waxed poetic over an entire glass, and bought everything on offer. 

I’ve been a huge fan of Moone-Tsai ever since—Napa Cabs are a dime a dozen, but not Napa Cabs like this one. 

That first taste was 15 years ago, and Moone-Tsai’s inaugural 2003 release. From the moment we added that Cabernet Sauvignon to our list, guests associated the wine, vintage after vintage, with quality. Years later, as the corporate beverage director for Morimoto Restaurant Group, Moone-Tsai was one of my first additions to the wine programs at a number of our properties, including Napa Valley and Maui. Time after time, our customers would rave about these silken Napa Cabs, and beg for more Moone-Tsai—today many of them remain on the winery’s tiny mailing list. 

There is a fantastic sense of symmetry now that I have the opportunity to offer Moone-Tsai to you here at Wine Access. After 20 years in the wine industry and seeing it all, you can’t beat this—even for twice the price. This is a gorgeous, silken Cabernet with intense aromatics of cassis, crushed blackberry, vanilla, and clove, wrapped in a blanket of sleek tannins. It’s an incredible wine that’s worth every penny, and a perfect addition to the cellar. 

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate praised the 2016 Moone-Tsai’s “great intensity of black and blue fruits,” and “tons of flamboyant cassis, warm plums and blueberry preserves notes with hints of mocha, lavender, menthol and iodine.” At Vinous, Antonio Galloni himself adored its “black cherry, plum, chocolate, new leather and spice [that] flesh out in a racy, voluptuous wine that will tempt readers with its sheer allure.” 

Honestly, our entire team—including Master Sommelier Sur Lucero, and our head of wine Vanessa Conlin—was shocked the critics didn’t give the 2016 Moone-Tsai a 97-point score at least, after calling it “the finest Napa Valley Cabernets readers will find under $100,” as Vinous did. 

Since the beginning, MaryAnn and Larry Tsai—two East-Coasters who felt the inexorable pull of Napa Valley and founded their eponymous label in 2003—and Mike Moone have trained their considerable focus on nurturing their Napa Valley relationships to gain access to some of the finest fruit in the region. Whether it’s grapes that have been carefully and respectfully grown on Pritchard Hill, in Oakville’s To Kalon Vineyard, or in Coombesville’s Caldwell Vineyard, the wine is always a shimmeringly clear lens through which the Moone-Tsai team tells the story of the land.

To accomplish all of that, winemaker Philippe Melka, whose vision and passion are responsible for some of the greatest bottles in the past couple of decades, works tirelessly. His focus is more than just on the fruit itself, but also on the most appropriate barrels to coax the wine to fruition. For the 2016 Moone-Tsai, he employed the work of three of France’s top cooperages for the task: Saint Martin, François Frères, and Taransaud. No expense has been spared, and it shows.

Every sip of this beauty is quintessentially Napa—except for the price tag. Top-vintage Napa Cabernet Sauvignon from one of the most storied names in the business at $99 per bottle is as close to a unicorn as you’ll find in the world of California wine. I’m confident that you’ll agree.