2019 Concept Album Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

Napa’s incredible 2019 vintage, which Vinous’ Antonio Galloni called “stunning...the likes of which I have never seen,” was one of the greats of this century. And it yielded the kind of smoking NDA deal that WE LIVE to bring to our members.

From a friend (and Joseph Phelps alum) who heads the winemaking team at a revered Napa estate, we scored eight barrels of super-premium Cabernet—five from Yountville, two from Oakville, and one from Howell Mountain. This stellar juice comes from an estate whose wines have been served at White House official dinners. Until it got into our hands, every drop was destined for the winery’s triple-digit-priced flagship, a blend that savvy Napa collectors know for going toe-to-toe with plenty of $300+ heavyweights.

Like Led Zeppelin IV or Nevermind, some vintages go pedal-to-the-metal from the first note.

Others, like 2019 in Napa, are like Neil Young’s Rust Never Sleeps: They start out mellow, like they’re picked on an old Martin D-45. Then they find their groove, gain momentum, and by the time the needle lifts—after Welfare Mothers, Sedan Delivery, and Hey Hey, My My have rocked everyone in earshot—you know you’ve encountered a classic. 

This all-time-great season left our buddy with the makings of one of his greatest flagship bottlings of all time. But our friend changed his tune at the last minute, opting for a more Bordeaux-style assemblage. That decision left him with a few more barrels of Cabernet than he needed. So he called us, and by the time we’d sped down to the winery and finished tasting, we’d locked up the lot.

Like a classic record, we’ll be talking about this one for a while.