2016 Summers Reserve 20th Anniversary Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

Some deals you work years for, others come knocking at your door. The 2016 Summers Reserve 20th Anniversary Cabernet Sauvignon is of the latter category, and we wish it were this simple to secure monumentally rich, fabulous Napa Cabernet for under $50 every time. Alas, deals like this one are rare, and getting rarer still.

Founded by Jim Summers in 1987, the estate has long had a reputation for combining traditional farming with extremely cellar-friendly pricing. “One of my favorite value wineries is Summers Estate,” wrote Robert Parker, “whose winemaker, Ignacio Blancas, does a terrific job of getting maximum varietal character from these realistically priced wines.”

Wine Access got the call for a few extra cases of the Reserve Cabernet, liable to move fast. Originally $80 per bottle, this bottling won 93 points from Wine Spectator, and was praised by Jeb Dunnuck as “outstanding”—already a great deal in Napa’s Cab market.

But at 42% off for our members on bottle one—just $46—it takes that value proposition to a whole other level: the nation’s best price by far.

Created to celebrate the Knights Valley estate’s 20th anniversary, this release bursts with that varietal typicity Parker described, but is also profoundly reflective of its terroir. This is Calistoga in a bottle: ripe, round, and full in body, with supple tannins and brilliant blackberry and blueberry ripeness. The dark ruby hue belies the power here, accented by the dark berry nose with hints of chocolate and savory herbs. We’d happily drink this every night of the week, and at a case-buy price of $42, that could easily be a reality.

When Jim bought the original 28-acre property, it was primarily planted to Merlot that Dan Duckhorn had initially planted. In 1996, the estate acquired another 25 acres off Highway 128. Named the Villa Andriana vineyard, it’s the site where this Cabernet was grown, with deep, loamy, volcanic soils that help infuse this wine with velvety richness. Those grapes were supplemented with mountain fruit from Calistoga, buttressing opulence with high-altitude structure and rugged tannins.

2016 was “an incredibly beautiful, classic year for Napa Valley,” wrote Jeb Dunnuck, and in Calistoga, one of the valley’s warmest spots, those conditions translate into a wine of huge stature and loads of fruit, but round, soft edges. Finished in French oak barrels for 23 months, adding toasted cedar and vanilla to the mix, this is hard not to love, and impossible to stay away from at a fantastic $46 value.