Lot 22 started as a blending component purchase that Cam loved so much he bought the whole lot — a Rutherford Malbec with the quintessential dusty tannins of the appellation that he calls the red wine equivalent of a porch pounder. Claude’s source guess is Peju Winery, Building the Tower.
Lot Overview
- Region: 100% Rutherford District, Napa Valley (estate)
- Vintage: 2022
- Varietal: 95% Malbec, 5% Petit Verdot
- Oak Aging: 60% new French oak
- Alcohol: 14.5%
- Cases Available: 238
- Cam Price: ~$10.75/bottle ($129/case)
- Retail Estimate: $75/bottle
- Claude’s Source Guess: Peju Winery — Building the Tower (Malbec/Petit Verdot), Rutherford Estate
- Wine Berserkers Guess: Peju Winery
- Drink Window: 2025–2032 (peak 2026–2030)
Cameron’s Release Notes
Dear Friends,
I had originally intended to just buy a couple hundred gallons of this delicious Malbec for blending but I loved it so much I decided to purchase the whole lot. Quite frankly, I think this is the most pleasurable red wine we have in the barn right now.
I can’t say this enough – Lot 22 Rutherford Malbec wine is utterly delicious and beautifully complex. Bottled at the end of June and drinking great already, if ever there was a red wine equivalent to the porch pounder, this is it!
And, above all, it is a stunning deal at just $129/case DELIVERED.
Yes, you read that right, this fantastic, normally $75/bottle Rutherford Malbec is yours for just $129/case DELIVERED.
Check it out today – shipments are starting first week of August! (more on shipping to come shortly).
Trust me folks, you are gonna love this wine!
Tasting Notes
I had originally intended to just buy a couple hundred gallons of this delicious Malbec for blending, but I loved it so much I decided to purchase the whole lot. Quite frankly, I think this is the most pleasurable red wine we have in the barn right now.
Gorgeously aromatic, plush and silky, this juicy, delicious Malbec is drinking great now and is a fantastic sip whilst you wait for your 2023 Cabernets to flesh out in the bottle. Definitely the red wine equivalent of a porch pounder!
Of course, it is a fantastic deal as well! The source winery sells this for around $75/bottle, it’s yours today for just $129 per CASE DELIVERED to your doorstep.
Trust me on this folks, Lot 22 Rutherford Malbec is a fantastic everyday drinking wine…plush, juicy, complex and imminently quaffable, it will knock your socks off!
Medium to deep purple in the glass. Boisterous bouquet of ripe raspberry, the quintessential Rutherford dust, ripe black plums and chocolate complexed with a little seasoned oak, pretty purple florals and blackcurrant. Plush on entry with juicy raspberry kirsch riding beautiful red-rock mineral tannins interlaced with chocolate. Beautifully energetic on the palate with juicy core of fruit and silky smooth finish, this is remarkably complex and, again, utterly delicious wine! Delicious, delicious, deeeeeelicous!
✅ Bottle Shock Status: Bottled June 27th. Drinking great already per Cam.
Claude’s Source Guess: Peju Winery — Building the Tower Malbec/Petit Verdot, Rutherford Estate
Peju Winery has farmed their 30-acre certified organic Rutherford estate since 1983, planted with all five Bordeaux varietals including Malbec and Petit Verdot. Their “Building the Tower” bottling is a Malbec/Petit Verdot blend from this same estate — matching Cam’s 95% Malbec / 5% PV composition precisely. Peju’s Rutherford estate is explicitly described as producing wines with “characteristic dusty tannins” and “Rutherford dust” — the very tasting note Cam highlights. Retail pricing on Peju’s winery-exclusive varietal wines lands in the $65–80 range, consistent with Cam’s “$75/bottle” retail.
Cam’s narrative of originally wanting it for blending fits perfectly — Rutherford Malbec is a classic blending component for adding softness and color to Napa Cabernets, and Peju’s estate Malbec would be exactly the kind of barrel lots a négociant like Cam would buy for blending before deciding the wine was too good to use that way.
✅ Confidence: Medium-High — Rutherford estate, Malbec/PV blend, $75 retail, “Rutherford dust” terroir markers, and Cam’s blending-component narrative all align with Peju’s “Building the Tower” program. The main uncertainty is whether their retail price and exact vintage availability match precisely.
Drink Window
Drink now through 2032. Rutherford Malbec at 14.5% and 60% new oak is built for near-term enjoyment but has structure for the medium term.
Peak: 2026–2030.
My Call: ✅ Drink window: 2025–2032 (peak 2026–2030)