Lot 13 is Cam’s ode to his black lab Albert — a meaty, plush Bordeaux blend from the same producer as Lot 10, combining Stagecoach Vineyard fruit with Atlas Bench estate holdings in a blend built around Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Syrah and Tempranillo. Claude’s source guess is Krupp Brothers, Water Witch. See also: Lot 10, Lot 16, Lot 17, Lot 21.
Lot Overview
- Region: 100% Napa Valley — 50% Stagecoach Vineyard (Atlas Peak/Pritchard Hill), 50% Krupp Brothers Estate (Atlas Bench) + splash Amador County
- Vintage: 2023
- Varietal: 45% Merlot, 30% Malbec, 20% Petit Verdot, 4% Syrah, 1% Tempranillo
- Oak Aging: ~70% new French oak
- Alcohol: 15.0%
- Cases Available: 200
- Cam Price: ~$16.50/bottle ($199/case)
- Retail Estimate: $90+/bottle
- Claude’s Source Guess: Krupp Brothers — Water Witch proprietary red blend (Stagecoach + estate)
- Wine Berserkers Guess: Krupp Brothers Water Witch
- Drink Window: 2026–2040 (peak 2028–2036)
Cameron’s Release Notes
Funny thing, I started writing up this release earlier today from my notes and it occurred to me that a dog metaphor might be useful in framing this wine. To be honest, I was originally thinking of a Bulldog named Veronica with a pink bow around her neck. Then I grabbed a fresh bottle, pulled the cork, and started to play around with it…suddenly, it dawned on me the perfect dog metaphor was snoring away on the floor beside me. Hence, Lot 13: An Ode to Albert.
Thick, meaty and barrel-chested yet surprisingly agile, this BDX-based blend combines fruit from a well-known high-elevation vineyard on Atlas Peak with fruit from the Atlas Bench. Quite frankly, this is a great, approachable option to have around while you wait for your 2023 Napa Cabernets to unwind in the bottle. With about 75% new French oak and a well over $90+/bottle price tag, this is a dynamite deal at only $199/case DELIVERED.
Plush on entry with hedonistic purple and black fruit wrapped around a beautifully integrated, sexy, open-knit structure. Voluptuous and muscular on the palate, with gobs of ripe fruit beautifully framed by savory coffee and vanilla bean over velvety, mineral-laced tannins in a long, resounding finish that is, as I said, pure magic carpet ride.
Only 200 cases produced, grab it while you can!
Tasting Notes
The 2023 vintage was long and moderate with lots of hangtime resulting in Cabernets, particularly in the cooler southern part of Napa Valley, being built like a Bullmastiff. Lot 13 2023 Napa Valley Meritage/Proprietary Red, on the other hand, is more like a chunky Black Lab with an otter tail, round-yet-powerfully structured and far more approachable…just bottled a few weeks ago, it’s already showing fantastically well and will be pure magic carpet ride come this Fall!
Sourced from the same winery as Lot 10 2023 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Lot 13 features a blend of mostly BDX varietals with a splash of Syrah and Tempranillo. Half of the fruit comes from the “vineyard that must not be named” that straddles Atlas Peak to Pritchard Hill with the other half coming from another estate property down on the Atlas Bench.
Quite frankly, this is a great, approachable option to have around while you wait for your 2023 Napa Cabernets to unwind in the bottle. With about 75% new French oak and a well over $90+/bottle price tag, this is a dynamite deal at only $199/case DELIVERED.
Opaque in the glass with a dark, meaty bouquet that is immediately expressive with black cherry and crème de mûre framed with smoky brown sugar barrel-notes, cocoa nibs, anise, and leather. Huckleberry jam comes with air. Plush on entry with hedonistic purple and black fruit wrapped around a beautifully integrated, sexy, open-knit structure. Voluptuous and muscular on the palate, with gobs of ripe fruit beautifully framed by savory coffee and vanilla bean over velvety, mineral-laced tannins in a long, resounding finish that is, as I said, pure magic carpet ride. Barrel-chested, meaty, and well-proportioned, this wine reminds of Albert, my black lab, AKA Bertapotamus.
⏳ Bottle Shock Status: Bottled June 27th. Allow 6 months minimum.
Claude’s Source Guess: Krupp Brothers — Water Witch proprietary red blend
The blend signature of Lot 13 — Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Syrah, and Tempranillo — is essentially the Water Witch’s calling card. Krupp Brothers has famously planted 6 of the 11 total acres of Tempranillo in all of Napa Valley on their Stagecoach blocks, and their Water Witch blend incorporates this Tempranillo alongside Malbec, Merlot, PV, Syrah, and Cab Franc/Sauv in varying proportions each vintage. The blend composition shifts year to year but always features this same unusual multi-varietal combination.
The “same winery as Lot 10” confirmation links back to the Taransaud/Seguin Moreau/Francois Freres cooperage cited for both lots — Krupp Brothers’ Water Witch uses exactly this cooper trio. The two vineyard sources Cam describes map precisely to Krupp’s situation post-Gallo sale: their retained Stagecoach blocks (the “vineyard that must not be named” straddling Atlas Peak to Pritchard Hill) and their own estate vineyard at the foot of the Vaca Mountains along the Silverado Trail — the Atlas Bench. The splash of Amador County fruit reflects Krupp’s occasional sourcing from Sierra Foothills growers for certain blending components.
✅ Confidence: Very High — WB independently identified Krupp Brothers Water Witch, the unusual multi-varietal blend profile matches precisely, cooperage confirmed, and the dual vineyard sourcing (Stagecoach + Atlas Bench estate) fits Krupp’s post-Gallo portfolio structure exactly.
Drink Window
Early: 2026 — 15% alc and the dense structure need time to integrate.
Peak: 2028–2036. The Water Witch typically drinks best 5–12 years from vintage.
Hold: 2040. The Malbec and Tempranillo give this unusual longevity for a non-Cab dominant blend.
My Call: ⏳ Drink window: 2026–2040 (peak 2028–2036)