Whoop, there goes the PV, but we were prepared!

What’s the best cure for sold-out Petit blues?

Cabernet Franc!

Occasio strikes back with the same Heritage Single Vineyard. The same meticulous winemaking. The same absurd price. Also only THREE barrels made, so you know what to do.

The secret to these extreme values in one word? Livermore. How many Livermore wines are in your stash? Probably between zero and one.

Unless you bought the Occasio Cabernet we blew out last year - in which case you’re already halfway through checking out. Because you already know…

Once regarded as better than Napa, this region remains underrated today but is home to big names like Mirassou, Concannon, Steven Kent, and Wente. Charles Wetmore anyone? You can find some SERIOUS value if you dig around.

Serious value doesn’t describe what we have here. It completely OBLITERATED everything in a five-foot radius at our recent tasting - big-name, expensive Napa reds included. It all starts to make sense when you learn Occasio founder/winemaker John Kinney was inspired by the philosophy of French great, Henri Jayer, the winemaker behind arguably the greatest of all Burgundies. And it shows. He’s fanatical about every aspect. Hand harvesting and hand sorting everything. Small production, obsessive focus (just over 50 cases made of this!). Choosing the absolute best American or French oak to bring out entire personalities. Micro-farming each vineyard plot to maximize its expression of terroir.

Occasio is a well-kept local secret, but it’s bound not to stay so for long at this rate of churning such delights back-to-back. What we can’t comprehend is how the wine press has yet to catch up. With the exception of Wine Enthusiast a couple of dozen 90+ reviews and Editors’ Choice awards for Occasio later, Occasio is clearly their pick of a Livermore superstar. They aptly praise one alike as “Powerful fruit flavors meet spicy oak and a good, firm texture in this concentrated and well-balanced wine from a tiny, quality-focused producer. The tasty black-cherry and tobacco notes have great depth and length.”

Spot on once again!

Another serious contender for value of the year!