2018 Morlet Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon ‘Les Petits Morlet’ Oakville Napa Valley 750 ml

Luc Morlet is simply one of the greatest craftsmen in Napa Valley. 

Born into a winemaking family that goes back five generations in Champagne, Luc’s love for his American sweetheart brought him to California, where he quickly reached the top rung of the winemaking ladder. Then, almost two decades ago, he and his wife Jodie Morlet founded Morlet Family Vineyards. Since then Luc has racked up over thirty 100-point wines.  

The Morlets’ ‘Les Petits Morlet” is inspired by the great Bordeaux tradition of “second” wines, specifically Cheval Blanc’s ‘Le Petit Cheval,’ Mouton-Rothschild’s ‘Le Petit Mouton,’ and Ducru-Beaucaillou’s ‘Le Petit Ducru.’ Grown in the spectacular 2018 vintage, this edition of ‘Les Petits Morlet’ hails from the Morlets’ renowned Napa Valley terroirs—not to mention one of the greatest Napa Valley vintages in memory.

This wine, which embodies the youthful character and energy that come from younger vines planted in Oakville’s famed alluvial soils, was crafted with the same attention as this iconic winery’s mature Cabernet bottlings. After a nighttime manual harvest into small lugs and meticulous hand-sorting, it was fermented using native yeast, in stainless steel tanks and extremely rare Darnajou French oak puncheons (Luc and Jodie are the exclusive importers of Darnajou barrels in the US). These puncheons, which are almost three times the size of a normal barrel, are referred to as demi-muids when they are closed and used for aging and gueule-bée when they are open-top and used for fermentation. 

After Luc Morlet judiciously selected each barrel for this blend, the ‘18 ‘Les Petits Morlet’ was bottled unfined and unfiltered. Master of Wine Lisa Perrotti Brown, writing for Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, called it “impeccably made” and “just plain delicious.” Jeb Dunnuck lauded it as a “full-bodied, sexy 2018 that delivers serious amounts of fruit, a lifted, perfumed, already complex style, and the ability to evolve.”

Very few wine lovers get the chance to try this bottle, which has only been offered to members of the winery’s mailing list and a few select restaurants and specialty wine shops. We’re thrilled to share it with you—this is the kind of access we’re all about!