“Profoundly layered…one of the best examples I’ve tasted”

Holy Mother of Bacchus what do we have here?? Just over $30 for a 97 POINT Reserve Cabernet?!

At $33 this has to be one of the best deals of the year. After all, we’re talking about the MOTHER VINE! The same clones that built so many of today’s Napa Cabs originate from this famous selection that Jim Concannon brought from Château Margaux decades ago.

Concannon is one of the oldest continuously operated wineries in America as they were ordained by the Catholic Church to make sacramental wine through prohibition. Not a single harvest has been missed. Take that! While everyone else had to only make wine for personal consumption the Concannon’s production line was in full motion.

This comes from their “Mother Vine” clones in their Livemore vineyard. Planted in 1893 using cuttings brought directly from Château Margaux in France - this is the source of many of today’s most planted and sought-after clones. Jim Concannon partnered with UC Davis to develop official Concannon Cabernet Clones 7, 8, and 11 from these vines. Cab clone geeks know those clones built the foundation of most Napa Valley vineyards.

This Reserve bottling isn’t always available, but in prime years, like 2023, they make it. With a long, cool, and even growing season, the conditions don’t get much better and it’s reflected in the bottle. The $55 price straight from the winery seems beyond fair. Our price today?

Load up!

97 points - Cristaldi & Co “Aged for 20 months in French and American oak, this wine is sourced entirely from estate fruit in Block 7, Clone 7, drawn from the Mother Vine blocks that include both iconic old vines and some younger plantings. The Mother Vine itself is now in its fifth decade. Originally brought to California from Château Margaux in 1893, it was re-propagated across the region in the 1970s and later became the foundational material used to replant much of Napa Valley in the latter half of the 1990s. The 2023 growing season in Livermore was notably cool, with no significant heat spikes, and the wine reflects the precision of the vintage. It’s bold and robust, beautifully constructed, with mixed berry fruit—raspberry, black cherry, spiced plum, and blackberry—wrapped in a velvety texture. Rich tannins frame a ripe, plush center, while dark-fruited depth mingles with espresso-bean spice, mocha richness, and graphite nuances on the finish. Profoundly layered in this vintage—one of the best examples I’ve tasted from Concannon.”