Lot 81 2024 Chalk Hill Cabernet Sauvignon

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Lot 81 2024 Chalk Hill Cabernet Sauvignon is a precision-made, guided-missile of a wine. Harkening back to the 2023 vintage Napa Cabernet's, it's chalk full (forgive the pun) of muscle, structure and sinew befitting the cooler climate of Chalk Hill. Earthy and graphitic, beautifully interlaced with spicy red and ripe black fruit, Lot 81 is certainly the most elegantly- and classically-structured Cabernet Sauvignon's I've seen out of the 2024 vintage. Perfectly ripe and perfectly extracted too boot!

Now, here is where things get interesting. The owner of the vineyard and wine is a well-to-do individual and the wine offer came through a guy I grew up with. I was doubtful at first (as my friend is not in the wine business and I have seen my share of backyard hobbyists wines), but, surprisingly, I was blown away. Apparently, the vineyard is spectacular as well.

In retrospect, I shouldn't have been surprised. Turns out the winemaker on the project is a longtime friend of the vineyard owner and also happens to be the winemaker at one of the most coveted estates on Pritchard Hill (I've recently purchased some wines from this winemaker so I was scratching my head reading the email exchanges, was someone cc'ing them by mistake?). As you can imagine, the wine is fantastic, made with all the care and attention of some of the most coveted and expensive wines of Napa Valley.

And, now, here is where the fun begins. Realizing the market right now is suboptimal, I was able to negotiate a very reasonable price for you folks and I am able to offer this wine for just $149 per case. Yep, you heard that right...just $149/case. (I believe the wine is mostly sold to friends and colleagues. At what price, I don't know, but I figure the wine is easily worth at least $80/bottle).

We've just bottled about 190 cases and that's all she wrote folks. So don't miss out on this opportunity to score what will surely go down as one of the best values we've ever offered here...and that's saying something, I think.

Deep ruby in the glass, almost opaque. Opens with a densely packed bouquet of blue fruit and the leather and cedar notes of perfectly seasoned oak. As it opens up, graphite, spicy cherry and cassis notes complex the bouquet with an underpinning of warm river stone...the earthy, cool-climate sensibility apparent here. Fleshy and elegant on the palate with a potent structure of fine-grained tannins and tawny muscularity. Densely packed and quite youthful at this point with cherry, blackcurrant and cassis notes echoing throughout a long, plush finish. There is a wonderful mountain minerality to this wine and I think the lover's of 2023 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon will find this wine incredibly compelling, especially at this price.

95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Malbec (bottling blend)
100% Chalk Hill estate, single-vineyard
60% new French oak, combination of medium and medium+ toast barrels
14.7% alc., 3.8 pH, TA 5.19 g/L, <.1 g/L Malic, 1.3 g/L Lactic
190 cases produced