Lot 67 is a Knights Valley Cabernet from the same producer as Lot 61 Howell Mountain Cabernet — confirmed by Cam himself — well over $100/bottle under their own label. Claude’s source guess is Robert Craig Winery. See also: Lot 61.
Lot Overview
- Region: Knights Valley, Sonoma County
- Vintage: not stated (likely 2023 based on release timing)
- Blend: 97% Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Coombsville Petite Verdot
- Alcohol: 15.5%
- Oak Aging: 60–70% new French oak
- TA / pH: 5.53 g/L TA, 3.75 pH, 0.65 g/L lactic, no malic
- Cases Available: not stated
- Cam Price: ~$14/bottle ($169/case)
- Retail Estimate: $100+/bottle
- Claude’s Source Guess: Robert Craig Winery — Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
- Wine Berserkers Guess:
- Drink Window: 2026–2035 (peak 2028–2033)
Cameron’s Release Notes
Dear Friends,
I have a fantastic Cabernet Sauvignon offer for you today!
Lot 67 is a gorgeous, estate-grown Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from the same producer as Lot 61 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. The producer sells this wine for well over $100/bottle and it is a fantastic deal at $149/case DELIVERED.
At just $149/case DELIVERED, this is a mind-blowing deal for world-class Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon!
Tasting Notes
Lot 67 is a gorgeous, estate-grown Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from the same producer as Lot 61 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. The producer sells this wine for well over $100/bottle and it is a fantastic deal at $149/case DELIVERED.
Deep ruby/purple in the glass with an opaque core. The bouquet is immediately expressive and complex with ripe blackberry, cassis and plum notes beautifully complexed with graphite, cedar and tobacco. With air, the bouquet opens further with spicy oak and floral notes along with a lovely mineral halo. Rich and powerful on entry with a beautifully integrated structure of full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon with mouthwatering acidity carrying ripe blackberry and cassis fruit laced with graphite and cedar to a long, sustained finish. Beautifully balanced with tremendous elegance and complexity, this gorgeous Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a must-have for Cabernet lovers!
⏳ Bottle Shock Status
Allow 60–90 days. Best from Summer 2026.
Claude’s Source Guess: Robert Craig Winery — Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Cam explicitly states this is from the same producer as Lot 61, which we’ve identified with very high confidence as Robert Craig Winery. That’s the anchor.
What initially appeared to be a mismatch — Robert Craig doesn’t make a known Knights Valley program — actually dissolves on closer inspection. Robert Craig has historically sourced fruit from Rutherford and Oakville for their Affinity blend, and the description of “various luxury tasting rooms” is consistent with Robert Craig’s two venues: the estate winery on Howell Mountain at 2,300 feet and the downtown Napa Tasting Salon. The “plays their cards very close to the vest” comment fits Robert Craig’s DTC-only, tightly allocated model perfectly.
Knights Valley sits directly adjacent to Napa Valley’s Calistoga area — it’s volcanic, high-elevation Bordeaux territory and producers with deep Napa mountain roots routinely source there when exceptional fruit becomes available. The 15.5% alcohol and 60–70% new French oak profile matches the full-throttle mountain mountain style Robert Craig is known for, and the 3% Coombsville Petite Verdot blended in is a very Robert Craig move — Coombsville is where their Affinity estate vineyard lives.
“Winemaker Katie” is almost certainly an industry colleague of Cam’s who tasted the wine with him and gave it an enthusiastic endorsement — not the producer’s winemaker. Katie Madigan of St. Francis Winery would know Knights Valley intimately given Sonoma’s geographic proximity, and she’s exactly the kind of industry friend Cam would share a barrel sample with.
The no-malic, high-lactic numbers confirm full malolactic fermentation and full maturity at harvest — combined with 3.75 pH and 15.5% alcohol, this is a big, opulent, ripe-style Knights Valley Cab meant to drink beautifully young while the structure carries it through the decade.
✅ Confidence: High — explicitly confirmed by Cam as same producer as Lot 61 (Robert Craig). The Knights Valley sourcing is an unusual departure from their typical mountain portfolio but not inconsistent with their approach of buying exceptional fruit wherever it exists.
Drink Window
Early Enjoyment: Summer 2026 — with 60–70% new oak, this needs a few months to settle, but the plush, open-knit structure Cam describes suggests it won’t be as tight as the Howell Mountain.
Peak Drinking: 2028–2033. The chalky hillside tannins will integrate beautifully in that window.
Hold Potential: 2035. The zero malic and fully resolved pH suggest the wine is already structurally mature — this is more of a medium-term cellar candidate than the Howell Mountain.
My Call: ⏳ Drink window: 2026–2035 (peak 2028–2033)