Lot 34 — 2024 Oakville District Petite Sirah
Lot Overview
- Region: 100% Oakville District
- Vintage: 2024
- Varietal: 100% Petite Sirah
- Oak Aging: 100% new French oak
- Alcohol: 14.5%
- Cases Available: ~250
- Cam Price: ~$10.75/bottle ($129/case)
- Retail Estimate: $500+/bottle if sold under estate label (mid-triple digits entry)
- Claude’s Source Guess: Unknown — ultra-premium Oakville Cabernet estate, likely Harlan, Screaming Eagle, Bond, Futo, or Dalla Valle
- Wine Berserkers Guess: No guess
- Chat Guess: Harlan, Screaming Eagle, or Rudd
- Drink Window: 2026–2038 (peak 2028–2035)
Cameron’s Release Notes
An Oakville Petite Sirah produced by one of Napa Valley’s most pedigreed Cabernet Sauvignon producers — and they have no program into which to deploy this wine. I have scoured the internet and can find nothing that would explain it. Other than providing production details like 100% new French oak and “we have over 80 bucks a gallon into this wine,” the head of winemaking was no help — just sent over the NDA after we agreed on a price. The per-bottle prices at this Oakville estate start in the mid-triple digits and go up from there. They have an enviable balance sheet and just wanted it out of the winery.
Structurally and even aromatically it is built like a Cabernet Sauvignon — if I didn’t know any better, I would have pegged it as such. Perhaps a secret blender?
Tasting Notes
Inky and nearly opaque with a vibrant purple rim. Blueberry pie and cherry kirsch swirl with gobs of nicely integrated toasty French oak, powdery pink flowers and a river gravel underpinning. Blackcurrant, blackberry compote and graham cracker complex with air. Supple on entry with ample fruit welded to a robust yet supremely well-integrated structure that unfurls majestically and elegantly in a huge 90-second finish. Exquisitely and precisely made — the best Petite Sirah I have ever come across.
⏳ Bottle Shock Status: Bottling January 2025. Allow 12–18 months minimum.
Claude’s Source Guess: Unknown — ultra-premium Oakville Cabernet estate (Opus One now the leading candidate; also Harlan, Screaming Eagle, Bond, Futo, or Dalla Valle)
Cam himself couldn’t identify a public-facing program, and the tight NDA from “the head of winemaking” confirms this producer has no interest in disclosure. What the clues establish firmly is a price floor of mid-triple digits ($500+) for their entry wine — a very short list in Oakville. The plausible candidates are:
Opus One — The most compelling new theory, surfaced by the Wine Berserkers community, is that Lot 34 is the first of three lots Opus One offered Cam in the span of a year — with Lot 50 (NV Oakville Cab) and Lot 80 (2024 Oakville Cab) being the other two. Cam explicitly stated in the Lot 80 release that “prior to the last year, I have never seen an ounce of wine from this producer hit the bulk market” and that Lot 80 was “the third wine they’ve offered me in the past year.” If Opus One is Lot 80’s source — which is one of the strongest identifications in the catalog — then Lots 34 and 50 round out that three-lot cluster. Opus One’s institutional “head of winemaking” language, Oakville estate pedigree, enviable balance sheet, and absolute NDA all fit. The Petite Sirah is the one unconventional element — it has never appeared in Opus One’s documented blend — but with 169 estate acres not every experimental block makes the flagship program, and Cam’s own bewilderment (“what in the world are they doing with this?”) is consistent with an ultra-premium producer quietly trialing a variety outside their core identity.
Harlan Estate — entry wine Bond starts at ~$350-400; Harlan itself is $750-900. Director of Winemaking Bob Levy uses institutional language consistent with “head of winemaking.” They have never disclosed all blending components.
Screaming Eagle — single wine at $850-1,000+, Nick Gislason as winemaker. Tiny operation, unlikely to have 250 cases of PS sitting around.
Bond — multiple single-vineyard Cabs at $350-500 under the Harlan umbrella. More production capacity than Screaming Eagle.
Futo Winery — Oakville estate, Thomas Rivers Brown winemaker, single Cab at $350-400, known for Cab-forward winemaking with extreme precision. The “built like a Cabernet” descriptor and TRB’s signature precision style fit very well. Futo also has the financial resources (“enviable balance sheet”) and small production model that would create exactly this surplus scenario.
Dalla Valle — Maya at $350-400, estate on the eastern hillsides of Oakville. Naoko Dalla Valle runs the estate with meticulous winemaking.
Cam’s observation that it’s “built like a Cabernet Sauvignon — perhaps a secret blender?” is the most useful clue. Petite Sirah is occasionally used to add structure and color to ultra-premium Cabs without disclosure. The $80/gallon production cost and 100% new French oak are consistent with any of these producers’ standards.
✅ Confidence: Low-Medium — Cam himself couldn’t identify the program and the NDA is absolute. However the three-lot Opus One cluster theory (Lots 34/50/80) is the strongest framework yet for explaining this lot, and elevates Opus One above the other candidates.
Drink Window
Early: 2026 — 100% new French oak needs integration time even on the approachable 2024 vintage.
Peak: 2028–2035. Oakville PS with this production standard peaks 4–10 years from vintage.
Hold: 2038. The precision and structure suggest excellent long-term potential.
My Call: ⏳ Drink window: 2026–2038 (peak 2028–2035)