🏷️ Lot Overview
- Region: Napa Valley (Coombsville, Yountville, Rutherford, St. Helena)
- Vintage: 2023
- Blend: 92% Cabernet, 4% Merlot, 2% Petite Verdot, 2% Malbec
- Chat GPT Original Source Guess: Clos du Val (Reserve-tier)
- Wine Berserkers Guess: Bell Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
- Alcohol: 14.8%
- Oak Aging: 18 months in ~35–45% new French oak
- Cam Price: $14.0 ($169/case)
- Retail Estimate: $100+
- Drink Window: 2025–2032
🍷 Cameron’s Release Notes
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We’ve got a soft spot for Lot 3—and we think you will too.
This 2023 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon comes from one of our absolute favorite producers in the valley. They’re known for rich-but-elegant wines with beautifully managed oak and rock-solid aging potential. But this one? It’s next level.
We strongly suspect Lot 3 is their Reserve-tier blend, built from top barrels across four of Napa’s powerhouse AVAs: Coombsville, Yountville, Rutherford, and St. Helena. It’s 92% Cabernet, rounded out with Merlot, Petite Verdot, and a small dash of Malbec we added at the final moment.
Bottling blend? Not officially. But when we tasted it, we knew: don’t mess with a good thing.
Why You Want This
A rare Reserve-level blend from one of Napa’s most respected producers—crafted from top AVAs like Coombsville, Yountville, Rutherford, and St. Helena. Stylish, cellar-worthy, and sourced in a market window that may never open again.
The Wine
Deep purple in the glass with vibrant energy and immediate appeal. Black cherry, currant, dark chocolate, and floral lift meet a lush, polished palate of blackberry, cocoa, and toasty oak. Rich and seamless, with a long, structured finish that delivers classic Napa elegance.
This is a $1,200 case going out the door for $169. Get after it!
Tasting Notes
Fantastically colored, deep purple in the glass with a kiss of purple electricity around the rim. Ripe and effusive right out of the bottle, the bouquet is lively with powdery purple flowers, black cherry, and black currant, and a meaty mélange of dark chocolate and freshly turned black soil. Succulent, juicy, and remarkably open-knit on the palate with blackberry jam and blackcurrant mingling with toasty oak and cocoa riding a perfectly integrated structure. Seamless, lush, and ripe, it spreads out beautifully across the palate in a long, rich, balanced finish.
- 92% Cabernet Sauvignon
- 4% Merlot
- 2% Petite Verdot
- 2% Malbec
- 50% Coombsville, 21% Yountville, 19% Rutherford, 10% St. Helena
- 18 months in ~35–45% new French oak
- Scheduled bottling: June 24, 2025
- ~250 cases produced
🧠ChatGPT says:
🔍 Source Guess: Clos du Val (Reserve-tier)
Here’s why:🧠ChatGPT says:
🔍 Source Guess: Clos du Val (most likely); possibly Whitehall Lane
🧾 Rationale:
- Blend Construction: The wine blends top barrels from Coombsville (50%), Yountville, Rutherford, and St. Helena. Clos du Val owns or sources fruit from each of these AVAs and is known for Reserve-tier blends that showcase multiple sub-AVAs across Napa Valley.
- Winemaking Style: Described as “rich-yet-elegant” with polished structure and aging potential—very much in line with Clos du Val’s refined, French-influenced house style.
- Oak Regimen: The use of 35–45% new French oak matches Clos du Val’s typical approach for their Reserve Cabernets.
- Historical Behavior: The producer reportedly sold this blend under unique market conditions—an anomaly Clos du Val might consider, especially given their reserve-tier wines usually stay in-house.
- Price Match: The retail estimate ($100+) and overall value proposition ($169/case) fit with Clos du Val’s upper-tier offerings, especially their Hirondelle Vineyard and Reserve Cab programs.
- Production Size: Around 250 cases is consistent with a Reserve bottling created from select barrels.
- Past Sourcing Relationship: Cameron Hughes has previously sourced wine from Clos du Val, increasing the likelihood of them being behind this lot.
🤔 Alternative Consideration:
Whitehall Lane — They produce multiple Napa Valley blends from Coombsville, Rutherford, and St. Helena. The house style is plush and approachable, which aligns with the “open-knit” and “seamless” descriptors. However, Whitehall Lane typically uses a higher percentage of new oak, and their Reserve program isn’t as tightly associated with multi-AVA blending, making them a secondary candidate.
⏳ Drink Window
Early Enjoyment:
From late 2025 onward (post-bottle shock), showing plush fruit and polished oak integration. Needs at least 6–12 months after bottling to come together.
Peak Drinking:
2027–2032. The tannin/oak/fruit balance will hit stride here, showing both depth and elegance.
Hold Potential:
Through 2035. High-end Napa Reserve blends often age gracefully 10+ years, with tertiary notes (cedar, graphite, tobacco) coming forward after 2032.
My Call:
⏳ Drink window (post-bottle shock): 2025–2035 (peak 2027–2032)
🧑‍🤝‍🧑🍷Wine Berserkers Guess: Bell Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve