Mission Codename Like a rock
A few reasons why you should NOT order this:
- You think mountain-grown, single-vineyard, 97-point Atlas Peak Cab is much too powerful for you.
- You don’t buy wine on Sundays.
- You’d rather get 5 cases of Topo Chico hard seltzer… actually that’s a valid reason.
If NONE of those reasons apply, then you should probably jump on this pronto!
Because we can’t promise many other 97 pointers under $60 with ritzy winemaking behind them in the coming months. Or years. And if you love all manner of big, rock & roller, coat your molars, shirt staining, no constraining style Cabernet, this one’s for you. Even with 100% new oak thrown on it, the intensity of the fruit just soaks it all up to attain sublime submission, a miraculous feat only witnessed in Cabs grown way above the fog line.
Julian Gonzalez crafted this blockbuster. He’s the one who led all consulting programs under the legendary Paul Hobb$ 🤑 since 2007. So, you know it has all the trademarks of a high-end Cabernet - fitted with structure, density, polish, and complexity that rivals a Unified Engineering class at MIT. Which is to say, it’s not at all a shy wine, and it explodes from the glass like a genie from the lamp and fills the room with untamed aromatics of exotic woods and flowers.
Showing a nice balance between Old World style and flashy modern Napa Cabernet - dark black and blue fruit rises up, with tobacco and tar, and a fascinating minerality all wrapped in a robe of expensive new French oak. Definitely give this one some time to breathe before you pour a glass, or let it rest for a few years - it can go the distance.
What else can we be said? Other than please move quickly. Cabernet never lasts long around here with these kinds of accolades, and there’s not much of this one to go around!
97 Points - Tasting Panel
“Perfumed with night-blooming jasmine, sandalwood and blackberry, this youthful red shows exciting potential for aging beautifully. A bouquet of heather, violets and lilcas is invigorated by minerality from the red-rock volcanic soil and a dusty mouthfeel. This elegant wine shows the intensity of mountain fruit without the overbearing density as Old World acidity and ‘Old Napa’ structure come into play. The wine is aged in French oak barrels for up to 22 months.”
What the Winery Says
2017 Meadowrock Vineyard Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon
- Winemaker
- Julian Gonzalez
- Consulting winemaker
- Paul Hobbs
- Varietal
- 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
- Vintage
- 2017
- Appellation
- Atlas Peak, Napa Valley
- Vineyard
- Meadowrock Vineyard
- Clones
- 337 & 4
- Alcohol
- 14.8%
- Aging
- 22 months
- Barrels
- 100% new French oak