“Supremely drinkable.” – Phillip Titus, Winemaker

TITUS!!!

The last time we landed a Titus deal was way, WAY back in the summer of 2019. It was a Cab, the varietal they are so well known for. They already represent extraordinary QPRs in that category, so deals are rare to see. Although their flagship wine sells for $250+ nowadays on their mailing list…

But their best-kept secret release? THIS. A Zin on its second, yet sadly FINAL vintage. You get that same 2023 vintage, tremendous mountain fruit, the Titus seal of winemaking, AND HALF OFF?! Yowza.

Wine Advocate brings us up to date: “This family-owned winery, led by brothers Eric and Phillip Titus, produces high-quality, attractively priced Cabernets from their St. Helena property off Ehlers Lane. Both the regular Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and the Family Estate Reserve Cab represent fine values in most vintages. The quality levels up with the winery’s top offering, the Imperatus, which is a tiny-production effort sourced from the Sugarloaf Vineyard in southern Napa. The prodigious 2023 reviewed in this report is the finest wine yet produced at Titus.”

Famous for Chappellet and Acumen as well, Phillip Titus is a legendary winemaker who knows what great mountain fruit can achieve. Bald Mountain Vineyard sits at 1,800 feet above sea level on a western ridge of the Mayacamas, the back of Mount Veeder that’s on the Sonoma side. Heritage clones planted in 1972 thrive in poor, fractured basalt-rock soil here, developing a true depth of flavor, while dry-farmed old vines express wild and unmatched character in the glass.

This Zinfandel displays crushed wild blackberries and dark, brandied cherries, with savory, spicy warmth beneath. An earthy resonance follows; cracked peppercorns and dried bay leaves, airborne like autumn mist on a late afternoon breeze. A velvety weight immediately quickens on the palate, while a ribbon of vivid acidity cuts through the richness, tethering finely woven tannins into effortless balance. Supple yet flamboyant on the finish, hefty but never heavy, dark, juicy black raspberries and wild currants give way to cool oak spices with sweet cardamom and cherry cola. Thanksgiving ham, anyone?

Even with the 50 acres Titus owns and farms on the foothills of Howell Mountain, the brothers sourced mountain fruit for a Zin that truly expresses what the variety is capable of with no compromise in quality winemaking. It is still a fascinating fact that, per The Napa Wine Project, “Charles Krug has been buying grapes from Titus since the mid 1940s from an original contract merely based on a handshake. This is certainly one of the oldest privately owned vineyard contracts in Napa. Over the years, Titus has sold grapes to other well-known wineries, including Beaulieu Vineyards and Cuvaison.”

Which leaves us in utter disbelief that we landed this covert Titus release only a few even know existed for a couple of brief vintages. Guess that’s what great spy work is all about!

At $70, it’s a steal. At $35, no mountain Zin packs this much value. Oh, and it’s highly limited.