Oh we are so LOCKED IN today! Medlock is back!

Their always-popular Bell Mountain returns. Carrying a 96 POINT score in tow. With 50% OFF. Michel Rolland (RIP to one of the greats) disciple Jean Hoefliger has done it once again.

The HIGHEST rated vintage, at the best price yet - just $35. The QPR needle is redlining on this one, Ops.

Don’t just take your grizzled old Agents of Wine on this one. Check out Agent Somm’s take on it here and then skadoosh back here to fill your Lockers.

Our infatuation with Medlock Ames runs deep. They simply do not miss. They always bring big scores. That’s all gravy, but there is one problem. Most of their wines are sold straight out of the tasting room or to their wine club members. Or, occasionally, from your favorite in-the-know website for wine deal reconnaissance with an insane 50% OFF for a wine surely priced right, even at the full $70.

Nirvana in Sonoma… says Food & Wine can be found “up on Bell Mountain where Medlock Ames winery produces amazing wines…” What sorcery? What craftiness? No incantations are needed. No slick talking either. Just good ol’ local relationships with wineries we know and love.

Chris Medlock James and Ames Morison, college best friends who left the hustle of NYC for the rolling hills of eastern Sonoma County, knew what they wanted from the beginning. Driving around Chalk Hill Road, their vision was realized at Bell Mountain Ranch. Of course, we dig their obsession with farming organically, without using pesticides, and their commitment to sustainability.

Ames was the original winemaker, but today they have Abby Watt at the helm and Jean Hoefliger overseeing as a consultant. Abby worked at the vaunted Hartford Court before leading the charge here, and of course, Hoefliger puts his stamp on many 94-100 wines from AXR, The Debate, Alpha Omega, Harbison, Pope Valley, and more.

If you’ve had previous Medlock Ames Cabs, you know what to expect. This falls in line with the style - inky, saturated, and structured, but similarly polished with a drink-me-now approachability. Chewy black fruit, dusty cacao bean, roasted plums, and shaved graphite flood the palate. With 21 months in 45% new French oak, it retains a lot of freshness but has excellent extraction and depth. And 2021 was a classic return-to-form for the region. A dry winter provided just enough water for concentrated fruit while the warm Goldilocks zone of a summer gave excellent ripeness and refined tannins without the challenges of too much heat. And you won’t find a much better wine from the vintage – Certainly not of this quality, at this price.

96 Points – Decanter “An expressive wine with ripe black cherry and currant fruit laced with tobacco spices and notes of crushed herbs. Medium to full-bodied with a rich tapestry of fine-grained tannins, excellent dark fruits laden with toffee and espresso bean nuances, and a finish marked by sandalwood and graphite notes and sourced from Bell Mountain in Sonoma. Drink 2024-2034.”