Dear Friends,

A while back our offices were graced with the presence of a gentleman (we'll call him Joe) who has made a significant impact on the adult beverage business. Having recently sold his rather large enterprise, Joe was looking to further simplify his life and wind down his wine business to boot. I’ll never forget the moment during negotiations when, while sitting in my office, he looked at me and said, “Cameron, what you have to ask yourself is, how do I make Joe happy?” Pretty hysterical line that gets repeated around here in various forms on a weekly basis. Well, I am happy to report that while we didn’t make our friend and neighbor too happy, we did strike a deal for pretty much the entire cellar (about 20 Lots of wine) including two lots of Cabernet that typically retail for $60+/bottle. The first offering from this dynamite collection of wines will make you very happy.

Lot 290 2008 Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon ($22) is one of two Spring Mountain Cabernet Lots (the other being the 2009 vintage which we will release later this year). The wine hails from a rather famous vineyard up on Spring Mountain that has been in what is pretty much a perpetual state of development since the 1960’s. Spring Mountain is a rather cool climate and growing grapes up there is an adventure as fruit struggles to ripen each year. Luckily the 2008 vintage (as well the 2009) were both just about as good as it gets from the site.

Lot 290 is a thrilling and enthralling example of Spring Mountain Cabernet. Richly aromatic with ripe aromas of blackberry, cassis and cedar, the wine shows really well in the nose even now with just a few months in the bottle. The mid palate is predictably light on fruit given the short time in bottle, but comes up admirably on the finish with blueberries and licorice and well-integrated tannins. I know the wine intimately from our earlier blends and can say unequivocally that this is a dynamite bottle of wine that is about as good as it gets from Spring Mountain. In terms of style, it's right up the middle with nice fruit elevated by absolute top quality French oak. Twenty-two months in French oak, 40% new. Yields are about 2.5 tons per acre. Best Spring Mountain Cabernet we have ever offered for sure and certainly in our Top 10 Cabernet’s.

Before you buy, a warning. DO NOT OPEN THIS WINE FOR ANOTHER MONTH OR TWO as it only has a two months in the bottle and is still a bit shocky.

There are only about 500 cases so claim yours today. By the time the holidays swing around in November, she should be rarin’ to go. If you need any assistance purchasing or have any questions, please call us at 1-800-805-1971 or shoot us an email and we will do our best to help you.