No doubt these are two of our most exciting releases all year. The much-anticipated return of Lot 38 is incarnated in Lot 77 2006 101-Year-Old-Vines Shiraz ($18). We also have a Cabernet release from one of Napa’s most revered appellations, Mount Veeder, which is certainly a contender for the best Cabernet we have ever released. First, the Shiraz – I think Lot 38 100 Year-Old-Vine Shiraz was probably the most popular and talked about release last year. I anticipate Lot 77 will be the same even though it’s going to take a bit longer to get there. I’ll explain below.

The 2006 vintage in the Barossa is generally considered good to excellent depending on who you talk to. A late heat wave forced some folks to bring grapes in a little too quickly but those who hung on (like the good folks who made our Lot 77) found a cool spell allowing them to hang fruit well into the Australian Fall. This cool spell also resulted in wines with more classically styled tannin structures versus the ultra-ripe fruit of 2005. These tannins have contributed to an overall structure superior to the Lot 38 but the trade-off is one of accessibility – the 2006, even with 18 months in barrel and over 6 months in bottle, is still unwinding in the bottle. Flavor profiles are much the same, its just gonna take a few more months to get there. Look to crack these puppies later this year.

Moving early last year we were able to secure the entire production of 101 Year-Old-Vine Shiraz and double what we had last year. Hopefully, we will be able to carry on that tradition as we were able to get the price down as well from $20/bottle to $18/bottle. Yeah!

The Lot 84 2006 Mt. Veeder Cabernet ($19) is one of those scores that only come around every now and then and are not part of the usual truffle snuffling we do around the bulk wine market. My banker called me up one day relating an upcoming winery estate sale where the new owner would not be carrying on the brand but was only interested in the property. An hour later our winemaker was knocking on their cellar door looking for samples. He called me up a few hours later and, for the first time, I bought the wines sight unseen. It really wasn’t all that difficult a decision as the original winery was always one of my favorite places to visit in Napa. Especially easy given that pedigree and winemaker David breathlessly jumping up and down on his cell phone (which, if you know David, is a funny picture and sure to be terribly embarrassing for his daughters). I should also mention previous vintages of this wine retail for $60-80 and the 2004 and 2005 vintages have scored 92 and 93 points, respectively, in the Wine Enthusiast. Future vintages will not be available, this is a one-time deal. Tasting notes can be found here.

As you can see from the vintages these are both young wines. Both have about 18 months in barrel and are fairly well developed but, at the end of the day, they are born of hillside grown, elevation farmed grapes and that pedigree is reflected in their structures. Grippy tannins and peeking fruit are just beginning to give way to the savory, dark, oaky fruits at the core of both of these wines (both have exceptional mouth feel, even now, though decanting is still recommended). As well, both wines have excellent cellaring capabilities and are certainly amongst the best wine (aren’t they all) we have ever offered here.

We made about 2,500 cases of each wine though a fair portion of it is allocated to our friends at Costco so be sure to get your orders in quickly and use our Buy and Hold option (for $5) if it’s too hot to ship to your state.

Cheers!