Napa is littered with countless $100-200+ Cabs. Like this one, for example.

Except for today, it’s missing something. Yes, it has all that flashy, uber-rich, and creamy Napa Cab goodness you crave. Estate bottled from a terrific vintage. Big, heavy bottle. This is the RESERVE people!!

But it lost $55 off the price! That brings it from $100 down to $45. Gulp.

It’s been a while since we featured a Maroon wine, and long-standing Operatives know what to expect. In fact, they already dipped out of here to grab some. For the newbies, let’s break it down.

Paul Maroon snagged 37 acres of prime Coombsville land years ago with one aim - grow some kickass Cabernet grapes. And that he did, selling to the Joseph Phelps Insignia blend, among others. Then he had an idea - why not make his own wine?? Seemed obvious. He did just that starting in 2009.

Chris Corley fashioned this wine from their Coombsville estate vineyard on the eastern edge of Napa. Cool Coombsville is the next frontier for cult Cabs that offer the best of both worlds in Cabernet making, fresh acidity due to the perennial breezes and perfect ripeness with the cloudless days of sunshine. It makes perfect sense to see Andy Erickson of Screaming Eagle fame invest here for his own Favia label, along with forward-thinking names like Paul Hobbs, Purlieu, Farella, Realm, Rewa, and Meteor all sourcing from vineyards surrounding Maroon. Except you pay dearly for those kinda names.

Dark, and powerful but not over-extracted. It won’t thump you over the head with heavily extracted fruit. Medium to full-bodied, brooding with blackberry, red currant, worn leather, cigar box, cedar, and cherry jam. Definitely has a pleasant spicy/savory balance to the fruit. Tannins are resolved, soft, and silky. Drinking absolute prime right now, with the upside to get more fascinating over the next decade. This has sufficient vibrancy and intense fruit to counterbalance something as bold as a spiced-up pot of curry even, so the pairing possibilities are near endless!

So, if you have ‘Champagne taste’ with more of a ‘beer budget’ (although those 4-packs from Fieldwork and HenHouse are hurting wallets these days) this one is for you.

Fair warning – Cabernet is the most popular wine we feature. Just sayin’.