2017 Pott Wine Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 750 ml

Winemaker Aaron Pott is one of Napa Valley’s greatest Bordeaux-blend masters, responsible for producing some of the most highly coveted reds in the world. He started by working alongside industry legends John Kongsgaard and Michel Rolland, then achieved stunning heights running St.-Émilion Grands Crus Classés Châteaux Troplong Mondot and serving as winemaker and general manager of La Tour Figeac (mon dieu, as an American!). That was before Pott returned to the States, ran the show at Quintessa, and was crowned Food & Wine magazine’s Winemaker of the Year in 2012.

In other words, Pott could wave around his top-class Napa-Bordeaux résumé and fetch $200+ per bottle—which is why his 2017 Pott Wine Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is such a stellar value. Sourced mainly from Napa Valley mountain fruit grown on Spring Mountain, Atlas Peak, Pritchard Hill, and Pott’s own Mount Veeder vineyard, it shows off the sites that go into his $150+ single-vineyard wines—and today, we’ve got the exclusive at just $69.

Grown on 33 different soil types on seven sites around Napa Valley, Pott’s 2017 Cabernet is ripe with warm cassis, black plums, and blackberry compote accented with clove and pipe tobacco all riding on taut, grippy tannins. It’s a mailing-list-only Cabernet that drinks like it’s twice the price, with the focus and structure to please fans of Bordeaux, but a ripe fruit profile that sings of Aaron Pott’s Napa Valley home. 

There’s some pretty simple math on this one: 90% of this 400-case production goes to the mailing list, and we’ve got a few of the 40 cases that normally go to top restaurants (Pott wines can be found at The French Laundry, The Restaurant at Meadowood, and Atelier Crenn). Since Napa Cabernets with this kind of pedigree are all but unheard of under $100, it won’t take this one long to disappear at just $69.

Ever since Aaron Pott returned from his pioneering Bordeaux adventure—in which he headed a major château at just 27 years old—he’s been in demand. In fact, Bloomberg even did a photo feature of Pott racing around Napa Valley at harvest time, putting in a 15-hour day for his consulting clients.

But a full dance card didn’t stop Pott from starting his own label just over 15 years ago, and purchasing 76 acres on Mount Veeder. This special site plus six others—including the Pritchard Hill, Spring Mountain, and Atlas Peak sources for Pott’s single-vineyard wines (which have names like “Her Majesty’s Secret Service” and “Turf War”)—provide Pott with a diverse array of fruit for a beautiful Napa Valley Cabernet that couples the intensity of mountain sites with the silkiness of the valley floor. 

After being sorted by hand three times, the Cabernet is gravity-fed to wood and clay to ferment on wild yeast. It then rests in 30% new oak for 20 months, giving the wine its supple texture and accents of baking spice and clove. Showcasing gorgeous Napa Valley fruit with a Bordelaise structure (not to mention winemaker’s touch), it’s an uncommon under-$100 Cabernet from a true master—and one we’re lucky to have. We’ve got a fraction of Pott’s tiny production, so don’t miss out.