2018 Brainchild Red Wine Napa Valley 750 ml

Accept no substitute for the tour de force 2018 Brainchild Red Blend—this wildly entertaining, magnificently rich, joyride of a bottle is truly one of a kind. We have a fantastic price on this exceptionally scarce, micro-production release (just 270 cases made), so get in this today, or risk missing out.

This bottling is what happens when one of Napa’s premier winemakers, Duckhorn alum Kent Jarman, gets his hands on highly coveted grapes from Calistoga, Mt. Veeder, and Atlas Peak, then lets his considerable talents run loose.

It’s the equivalent of Hendrix noodling away on a 1968 Fender Stratocaster, finding beautiful harmonies in improvisation and playing purely for pleasure. Swirling aromas of violet and exotic spice meet a palate with ever-deepening layers of chocolate and dark fruit. Drawn from a who’s-who list of blue-ribbon Napa vineyards, it’s a stupendous catch at $32 per bottle—24% off the original sale price. It's just plain fun to drink, and you'll want to keep multiples around.

At his day job, Kent crafts $100+, 95-point beauties for Kenefick Ranch and collaborates with famous clients like Ayesha Curry for the popular Coup de Foudre label. But when he comes into exquisite grapes that don’t fit into predetermined categories, he gets on the phone with Brainchild founder Patrick McNeil, a marketing whiz who helped scale quintessential Napa Valley reds to blockbuster status. When it comes to wine, the two have a synergy like Mick and Keith.

“It’s the sort of crazy red blend that doesn’t really make sense in the traditional fashion,” Kent told us over lunch at Bouchon, scratching his cheek. Sunburnt and speaking in a warm Louisiana drawl, Kent exudes easy-going, good-time vibes—and so do his wines.

The production of the 2018 Brainchild Red Blend had been spurred by a chance opening at a legendary Mt. Veeder site. “I lucked into a few tons of Paras Vineyard grapes—they’re really hard to get, so when the opportunity came up, I just jumped at it.”

Similar insider opportunities came up at Muhlner Steps, Lewelling, and Circle R Ranch. The lead grape, Kent determined, would be Petite Sirah, which sets the table with intensity and a vibrant backbone. Sourced primarily from warm Calistoga, it’s got a ripe opulence that pulls the variety’s natural earthiness and powerful tannins into balance. Cabernet Sauvignon lends depth and structure, while Grenache provides full-blown aromas of dark plum and black cherry.

By the time we finished our glass at Bouchon, we didn’t just want a few cases—we wanted as much as we could get. Make sure you get a piece, because after this offer closes out, it’s gone like a closing riff vanishing into silence.