Lot 74 is a 2024 Napa Valley Merlot from the best upper blocks of the “vineyard that shall not be named” — the same producer as Lot 75 and the broader Stagecoach/Krupp Brothers cluster, normally a main component in a $150+/bottle icon-level proprietary red blend. Claude’s source guess is Krupp Brothers. See also: Lot 75, Lot 10, Lot 13, Lot 16, Lot 17, Lot 21.
Lot Overview
- Region: 100% Napa Valley (upper blocks, “vineyard that shall not be named” straddling Atlas Peak to Pritchard Hill)
- Vintage: 2024
- Varietal: 90% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Petite Sirah (PS not from same vineyard/producer)
- Oak Aging: 60% new French oak
- Alcohol: 14.9%, pH 3.5, TA 6.9 g/L, Malic 0.32 g/L, Lactic 0.58 g/L
- Cases Available: ~150
- Cam Price: ~$12.50/bottle ($149/case)
- Retail Estimate: $150+/bottle (icon-level proprietary red blend component)
- Claude’s Source Guess: Krupp Brothers — upper blocks “vineyard that shall not be named” (same producer as Lots 75, 10, 13, 16, 17, 21)
- Wine Berserkers Guess:
- Drink Window: 2026–2038 (peak 2028–2035)
Cameron’s Release Notes
Beautifully extracted with a dark, inky core and vibrant purple rim, Lot 74 hails from the best upper blocks in the “vineyard that shall not be named” produced by the same winery as Lot 75 and, while dark and inky in the glass, features a ridiculously expressive and vibrant bouquet with rich, ripe, energetic structure to match.
Normally one of the main components in a $150+/bottle Icon-level proprietary red blend (this was the best, so we passed on the other components), Lot 74 is a no-expense-spared production featuring ~65% new French oak. Napa Cab-lovers take note: this is every bit as powerfully structured, complex and compelling as any icon-level Cabernet Sauvignon…in short, this is one spectacular Merlot!
And the price is equally spectacular, just $149/case!!!!
Only 150 cases to go around…
Tasting Notes
Dark, inky core with vibrant purple rim. Soaring, energetic bouquet of black and blue fruit, cacao and fresh-turned black earth complexed with leather and cedar. As the bouquet opens damson plum and tobacco leaf notes join the fray, the end result a tremendously complex bouquet. On the palate, fleshy ripe fruit is slathered over muscular-yet-elegant, fine, mountain mineral-laced tannins unfurling a huge, swashbuckling finish of blueberry and plums haloed with tobacco leaf notes. Rich, ripe, energetic and complex, Lot 74 beautifully captures the essence of the 2024 vintage. Drinking great now, it will absolutely knock your socks off at this price…or any price for that matter.
✅ Bottle Shock Status: Drinking great now per Cam — 2024 vintage generosity and 60% new oak at 14.9% alc is accessible early.
Claude’s Source Guess: Krupp Brothers — Upper Blocks, “Vineyard That Shall Not Be Named” (same producer as Lots 75, 10, 13, 16, 17, 21)
Cam links Lot 74 directly to Lot 75 — “produced by the same winery as Lot 75” — and Lot 75 is firmly in the confirmed Krupp Brothers/Stagecoach cluster. The “vineyard that shall not be named” language is exclusively Stagecoach territory in the CAM X catalog. The wine is described as “normally one of the main components in a $150+/bottle Icon-level proprietary red blend” — consistent with Krupp Brothers’ Water Witch proprietary red (Lot 13), which uses Merlot as its dominant component at 45%.
The 90% Merlot composition with 9% Cab Sauv and 1% Petite Sirah closely mirrors the Water Witch’s varietal profile — Merlot-dominant with supporting Bordeaux varieties — confirming this is almost certainly the Merlot component that normally goes into Krupp’s icon-tier blend program, offered here as a standalone lot because Cam selected only the best component and passed on the rest.
This lot extends the confirmed Krupp Brothers cluster to eight lots: 10, 13, 14, 16, 17, 21, 74, and 75 — making Krupp Brothers definitively the most prolific single source in the entire CAM X catalog.
✅ Confidence: Very High — “same winery as Lot 75” confirmed by Cam, Lot 75 confirmed as Krupp Brothers, “vineyard that shall not be named” language exclusive to Stagecoach/Krupp cluster, and Merlot-dominant blend consistent with Water Witch component sourcing.
Drink Window
Early: 2026 — Cam says it’s drinking great now and the 2024 vintage generosity supports early drinking.
Peak: 2028–2035. Mountain Merlot from Stagecoach upper blocks at 14.9% alc peaks 4–10 years from vintage.
Hold: 2038. The mountain mineral structure gives this solid medium-long aging potential.
My Call: ✅ Drink window: 2026–2038 (peak 2028–2035)