“Diligence is the mother of good luck.” - Ben Franklin

We could say this is your lucky day, but the truth is you’ve prepared for it by signing up to get these deals. Maybe we got lucky scoring this incredible wine, or maybe it’s that Agent Noir brings 15 years of deep connections in the industry. Whatever combination of the butterfly effect, dumb luck, diligence, or just pure fate… here we are with a perfectly aged Mt. Veeder Cabernet for $19.

This wine was not destined to land on your doorstep. The reason is simple. This was a restaurant-only wine. And we happened to chance upon it in a fire sale, and now it’s yours.

To be honest, we don’t know a whole ton about this wine and neither did the source. All we know for sure is that these never left the warehouse since new where we found them. Was there a world-class winemaker who put their famous touch on it? Not sure, but the nose screams so. Were some prime vineyards involved in the blend? Given the majority of what’s planted up there is nothing but, the odds are up there too. We do know what it tastes like though, and that’s a LOT more than the $19 price tag.

A brilliant ruby core radiates out to a garnet to crimson rim. The nose is amazingly ripe and youthful with primary blackberry, cassis, and granite nuances. It’s soft and silky on the palate, still abundant with more black fruits, plum compote, worn leather, chocolate, cinnamon, and a lovely edge of tobacco leaf. The finish boasts espresso-like powdery tannins, and more coffee, cocoa, and leather-based top notes. Fine as it is to sip and contemplate with on its own, this will ignite your weekday proteins too.

Out of mere curiosity (being Spies and all) we calculated an average going rate for Mt. Veeder Cabernet these days, and landed somewhere north of $130 a pop. You may recall, the 2010 vintage in these parts was of astounding quality which no doubt helps. Vinous recently reassessed it with 97 points, declaring “a fabulous vintage that combines the structure and energy of a cold vintage with the ripeness of a warm year… the wines are utterly brilliant, with deep colors, precise fruit, ripe tannins and expressive aromatics. The best 2010 Cabernets are full-bodied, flamboyantly ripe and also tannic. Readers should continue to cellar the 2010s for at least a few years, but preferably even longer.”

As a recap, Mt. Veeder, located on the eastern slopes of the Mayacamas range, has a climate that is cooler than the valley floor below. This climate and the more difficult (less fertile) volcanic mountain soil influence the flavors of the wines from this region. The premium vineyards of the appellation produce grapes of exceptional character, density, and intensity. With vineyards adorning labels from the likes of Lokoya, Mayacamas Vineyards or Lewis Cellars hailing from all over this region, it’s truly the home of some of the finest Cabernet grown in all of Napa Valley.

Every time you pull one of these, you’ll have that feeling of finding a crisp $100 bill on the ground.

Because frankly, this unheard-of discovery is like finding an albino lobster or hitting a royal flush on your first-ever poker hand.

WHILE IT LASTS.