Hot take: If this had “Napa” on the label you’d pay a lot more. It has everything we look for - swoonworthy richness, finesse, a top tier winemaking pedigree.

And the price. That PRICE! Way, WAY lower than it should be. **Over 60% OFF takes this bad mamma jamma from $75 to well under $30. It dips into pricing territory few Cabs can dream of without mass production levels of scale.

OG ops know Topel - they’ve been around since our early days. But it’s been three years since we last brought one to the table. They’re a truly under-the-radar producer, one you won’t find in any wine shops.

Winemaker Martin Bernal-Hafner is a real one. He has the chops; from his early start working with the famed Chapoutier, then to Vina Cobos where he shadowed the great Paul Hobbs. After that he returned back to Sebastopol and continued working closely with the Paul Hobbs label before venturing into his own project. Topel’s estate vineyard sits at 1400 feet elevation, in the southern edge of Mendocino, right above Alexander Valley. From here they tend 15-acres of vines, letting the remainder of their 150 acre estate run wild with rattlesnakes, turkeys, and other critters.

This is their top-of-the-line wine, selected from the best barrels. Aged in 100% French oak, 35% new for two years. Cabernet makes up 90%, with Merlot 5%, Petite Sirah 4% and Petite Verdot 1%. It’s rich and heady, but with a seriousness that brings the Old World into focus. The violets! MMM. It has an undercurrent of dark red fruit, loads of bing cherry, figs, red currants, cassis, tobacco leaf, spices, and pencil lead.

Just wait until you get this in your glass and think “Man, Wine Spies did it AGAIN!”. You’re welcome in advance.