2018 Raymond Vineyards Red Wine Reserve Selection Napa Valley 750 ml

You can’t talk about Raymond without talking about its proprietor, Jean-Charles Boisset. The Burgundy-born visionary is responsible for sophisticated and flamboyant wines on both sides of the Atlantic—and few of his endeavors embody that character more than Napa’s Raymond Vineyards.

Raymond might best be known for their wild parties—complete with trapeze artists, servers clad in Brazilian Carnival ensembles, and bathing pools filled with melted chocolate—but the real show is always about what's in the bottle.

“Napa hedonism wrapped in a characteristically Boisset flashy package” is how Decanter characterized the juicy, powerful 2018 Reserve Selection Red in their 93-point review. Indeed, it’s a picture of refined hedonism, with rich layers of spicy red fruit, a playful line of freshness, and tannins like silk. Hardly surprising, coming from Boisset.

He grew up amidst vines in the village of Vougeot but fell in love with California Chardonnay on his first visit to the States. Since then, he’s spent so much time in California that he seems to have equal amounts of French and American blood coursing through his veins—not to mention unbridled energy that pours out of him in extravagant ways.

Yet behind the flash is a serious vintner boasting a network of excellent vineyard sites and a state-of-the-art facility at Raymond—one who spares no expense in crafting irresistible examples of Napa Valley Cabernet luxury.

His wine-world connections secured him the services of Far Niente alum Stephanie Putnam and 100-point legend Philippe Melka's Atelier Melka consulting group. With Boisset's considerable resources at their disposal, Raymond has grown to 300 Demeter-certified biodynamic acres in Rutherford, St. Helena, and Jameson Canyon.

Their 2018 Reserve Selection is sophisticated, complex, and powerful—everything we love about Napa.