2019 Word Choice Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

When you own one of the most magical vineyard sites in your appellation, demand is never a problem. Supply often is.

The winery behind this ultra-exclusive release has been called a “hidden gem in Napa Valley” by Wine Spectator, and the $200 releases that come off this gravel-strewn parcel have landed on critics’ Top 100 lists.

The vineyard’s miniscule yields mean the owners usually need every single grape they can harvest to satisfy their mailing list, but the storybook 2019 vintage—called “stunning” by Vinous founder Antonio Galloni—was different.

In that stellar year, the winemakers had just enough fruit left over to make things VERY interesting for anyone who could line up cellar space and barrels within hours—and that “anyone” ended up being us. We received a text asking whether we could make some grapes disappear, and when we saw the quality of the fruit our answer was a resounding YES.

Showing voluptuous concentration, firm tannins, and marvelous complexity, the wine initially left us grasping for the right words. We wanted to know the secret: How do you make a wine with such striking equipoise that—after we recovered from that stunning first taste—can also make us fill an entire page with tasting notes?

“Simple,” the winemaker told us. “Own a one-of-a-kind vineyard.” Over thousands of years, he explained, every kind of soil that existed on the mountainside had slid down to his site and commingled to form an immensely diverse terroir, imparting unbelievable lushness and timeless character to the wines it produced.

In 2019, that site turned out fruit that we were lucky to get—and we’re thrilled to share the result with you.