Mission Codename Illuminati
To this day nobody has deciphered the fourth message on the famous Kryptos sculpture at the CIA headquarters.
The good news about today’s CLASSIFIED offer is you don’t need to be an excerpt cryptographer to figure it out. We’re dropping hints all over the place, starting with this: 94 POINTS from Vinous.
Or you can skip to the end, just snag a bottle or three, tear the package open when it lands, and BOOM, the mystery solved. Or keep reading, and perhaps you can unpack the secret before it lands on your doorstep.
CLASSIFIED offers are reserved for wines so compelling that revealing the name would put our livelihood at stake. Our industry is built on relationships and not wanting to ruffle feathers, sometimes it’s a necessary precaution to redact some of the information.
But this is “In a word: Superb.”
Today’s highly confidential wine comes from the depths of Napa cult territory and is made by a sort of Napa Illuminati. Each of these virtuosos holds history in their hands and crafts only the best of the best. This team works with an estate vineyard that powers some of the very best wines coming out of Napa. With the likes of Andy Erikson using the fruit, it is no wonder why Wine Spectator once said, “This vineyard is as jaw-dropping as its Cabernets.”
Obviously, we can’t tell you exactly what points this vintage got and from which critic (that would be too easy). But in the almost 20 years of this wine’s history, scores consistently hit the mid and high 90s from Wine Advocate and Vinous. Words like “scrumptious,” “expansive,”, and “vibrant” have been thrown around by critics for this vintage to tag along with the great scores.
Do you have any guesses yet?
There’s simply no way we could offer this wine at this price without getting cut off from the supplier for good. We can drop some hints though. Firstly, you’ll find it listed on the winery website at $170. This wine over-delivers at the original sale price. At our price, with 42% off it’s a staggering deal, and we’re doing our best not to shout it from the rooftops!
Secondly, it comes from a tiny winery with unparalleled pedigree backed by a dream team of industry all-stars. No specifics but Scarecrow, Harlan Estate, Lail, Beckstoffer, and Duckhorn all have team members in common.
Now to what is in the glass. Man, at 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, it is rich and dense! Think black plum, leather, deep dark cherry, and subtle aromas of herbs de Provence. Layered complexity on the palette will leave your curiosities peaked and have you coming back to the bottle for more as it changes by the minute with some air. On the tongue, those lush tannins are accompanied by notes of cedar, dried sage, mocha, raspberry jam, and a little Chinese five-spice thang. Absolutely gorgeous!
Any guesses? Either way, trust your Agents of Wine and secure some now. It will not last!
94 points - Vinous
What the Winery Says
2017 'Undisclosed' Napa Valley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
- Winemaker
- Undisclosed
- Varietal
- 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
- Vintage
- 2017
- Alcohol
- 14.7%
- Appellation
- Coombsville, Napa Valley
- Vineyard
- Undisclosed
- Aging
- 22 months
- Barrels
- 70% new French Oak