2019 Grande Sonnerie Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

“Let’s get to work,” Luc said.

The day had come. After over a year of careful planning, our Head of Wine, Vanessa Conlin MW, arrived at Luc Morlet’s studio in St. Helena to initiate his first collaboration in over a decade.

Six hours later, the 2019 Grande Sonnerie Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley came into focus. Vanessa and Luc went back and forth, sampling barrel after barrel and blend after blend, until the wine spoke loudly to the two masters. Luc says, “We took our time, and Vanessa was decisive. I appreciate that.”

Luc, who has crafted over TWENTY 100-point bottles for luminaries such as Peter Michael, calls his winemaking philosophy “neo-classic laissez-faire without compromise,” so he only works with star-caliber vineyards. He made the 2019 Grande Sonnerie Napa Valley from multiple sources: volcanic ash-rich hillsides in northern St. Helena and deep, alluvial gravel-loam parcels on Oakville’s west side. The latter runs right up to a vineyard whose name is so jealously guarded that to print it here would summon a horde of attorneys.

What is Grande Sonnerie? In mechanical clocks and luxury watches, it’s a complicated movement and striking system. Its other meaning is aspirational: Because it’s such a complex mechanical feat, only the greatest watchmakers in the world have mastered it with precision and elegance. That’s why it’s such a perfect name for our collaboration with Luc, who is not only one of the greatest craftsmen in the Napa Valle, but indeed in the world of wine. It’s a coup de coeur (shot to the heart) from two masters that’s irresistible now but will cruise for 20 years or more.