2017 The Vice American Paradox Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

There’s nothing like a burger and a $250 bottle of Cabernet. Or so we thought, as we tucked into our Gott’s Roadside lunch alongside one of the most luxuriously commanding Napa reds we’d been introduced to in months.

Sitting across from us with his cat-that-ate-the-canary expression, the only information the winemaker had shared was his sourcing on this 2017 The Vice American Paradox, which read like a who’s who of Napa Valley’s toniest zip codes for $200+ Cabernet. After stating our guesses, we were thoroughly impressed when he revealed the wine’s surprisingly low $75 SRP, but we almost choked on our fries when he offered us a deal for the ages. Just $45.

As dense and dark as it is gorgeously versatile, this Napa Cabernet from The Vice feels as perfectly suited to a casual burger as it would with filet mignon. In fact, it would serve to elevate either.

Winemaker Vance Rose is a Napa super-talent, and we’d drop anything to meet him for a burger and a glass. We’ve been following his career for years and his résumé includes stints with such stellar estates as Rosemount in Australia, Donum in Carneros, Ehlers in St. Helena, plus Grieve Family Winery and Double Eagle. When Rose coupled that expertise with The Vice’s insane vineyard sources, he stacked the deck in his favor. It’s a bet that’s paying off at far below the $150+ cost of entry that top Napa Cabernets command.

Which is why The Vice is an insider label that mostly sells to restaurants, and what little is left goes to a thirsty mailing list—save for the few cases we snagged just for you. Although the grape source is shrouded in secrecy (we did sign a three-page NDA), we can tell you that Myriad and Schrader’s 97-100-point Cabernets are from the very same ultra-famous vineyard as the majority source for these coveted grapes.

A deep ruby core is brought to life with robust aromas of violet and dark fruit boldly wrapped in roasted espresso and dark chocolate. A rare Cab that toes the line between serious and approachable, the palate is layered with blackberry compote, cassis, and licorice dressed up with graphite, coffee, and a mountain of tannins that will keep it evolving splendidly over the next decade and a half.  

Hailing from some of the most prestigious sites in Rutherford and Stags Leap as well as extreme high-elevation vineyards up Diamond Mountain and Atlas Peak, the grapes that go into The Vice American Paradox represent some of Napa’s highest-rent districts, where iconic wineries source difficult-to-farm Cabernet Sauvignon to produce rarities that start in the triple-digit price category and climb from there.

Owner Malek Amrani told us he named this wine American Paradox as a play on the popular 1990s French Paradox trend—when a daily glass of wine was promoted as part of a healthy diet. “I prescribe a bottle a day, instead,” Malek told us. “Especially with this wine, which is so special that I personally hand waxed every single bottle.”

The 2017 American Paradox is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 17 months in 100% new French oak barrels. Most of this blockbuster mountain Cab had been already earmarked for the cellars of New York City staples Il Mulino, The Capital Grille, and Old Homestead Steakhouse. But after we recently sold out of The Vice’s Petite Sirah and The House Cabernet within days of offering each, Vance and Malek allocated the entire production of the American Paradox over to us.

So, while this wine had been destined for diners to fork out triple-digit prices for a bottle, you get to enjoy your private stash right at home for a song.