2020 Delightful and Strange Red Wine Sonoma Valley 750 ml

Standing on the slopes of Howell Mountain, looking down past a crumbling stone wall and silver-leafed olive trees, lay a gorgeous vineyard—but that’s not at all what was on the winemaker’s mind.

“Forget this place. My best work that year came from over there” he said as he gestured west. But he didn’t mean in St. Helena, or even Spring Mountain—he meant over in Sonoma, at an ambitious estate for which he was consulting.

That’s when he dropped the bomb: “And we might even have a few extra barrels for you.”

Our anonymous winemaker friend is a multi-100-point star boasting a Winemaker of the Year award from a major publication, so needless to say we jump at the chance to offer anything he touches. When it comes from a rising Sonoma powerhouse we can't name—who have earned over a dozen scores of 95+ points over their last three vintages—we hop in the car and don’t stop until we’re at the cellar door.

We now present the 2020 Delightful & Strange—our perennially popular NDA-blend’s first foray across the Mayacamas Mountains. From an estate whose releases regularly go for $125+, this bottling is bold, luscious, and far, far less expensive, thanks to the phonebook of an NDA that protects its origins.

Delightful & Strange has been one of our most beloved private labels—a designation that we use for some of our most deliciously powerful red blends. This one is driven by 55% Cabernet Sauvignon balanced with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and a healthy splash of Malbec—all aged 16 months in a perfectly judged 25% new French oak.

The result is destined to be one of our most beloved Delightful & Strange releases.