2017 Grand Napa Vineyards Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

Grand Napa Vineyards’ 2017 Reserve would be a rock-solid buy at its $110 SRP. 

With deep black fruit aromas accented by toasted vanilla and tobacco and a full body framed by dusty fine tannins, this is the kind of buy-it-to-believe-it bargain that has us thinking back to the good old days of under-$50 high-quality Napa Cabernet. You won’t find the new vintage anywhere but on Wine Access. And if the past vintage is a harbinger, you won’t find it here for long—especially at more than half off.

“Delicious and one of the best Wine Access wines I have had,” raved one of the Wine Access members who got in on our last allocation of the Grand Napa Reserve. “So impressed that I find myself needing a special occasion to drink it because I don’t want to run out.” It’s an endorsement that doubles as sound advice: Don’t underestimate how often you’ll be tempted to crack a bottle open, so stock up. We know we are. 

Grand Napa Vineyards enjoys a prime spot in the Cabernet mecca of Rutherford—neighboring legends like Grgich, Staglin, and Beaulieu Vineyard—and we can thank that blessed location for a Cabernet that’s quickly becoming one of our most reliable Napa Valley bargains. We were absolutely captivated by the Reserve’s generous nose of black fruit and intriguing aromatics of mocha and spice, and our mouths watered as the fine and dusty tannins melted in our mouths over the long finish. 

The Grand Napa Reserve’s healthy dose of “Rutherford dust” comes straight from the soils of the winery’s home among the giants of that famed AVA, and that character is complemented by fruit from their tightly guarded sources in St. Helena and Yountville. The 2017 was smoothed out with 22 months in 60% new French oak, giving it the spice and silky, approachable texture that has us eager to open our bottles immediately.