Mission Codename Hear you loudy and cloudy
Big Scores? Always. 94WE & 93JD here.
Rockstar winemaker? You betcha.
Over 40% off the price? Oh yes.
Janzen is BACK! We knew it when Agent Noir came sliding out of his office and started moving like this guy. How many of you have emailed us since February of 2021 asking when we’ll have more?
Finally, it’s happening, but there’s precious little to go around this time…
This is a stunner for the serious Cabernet lovers out there. A BLOCKBUSTER. A wine described as “mouth filling, opulent, sexy” in past reviews. One made by a Rockstar winemaker (Kirk Venge), from hillside fruit sourced from a premier vineyard in Napa. And it’s yours at an unprecedented 42% off no less! That’s $70 savings PER BOTTLE.
Kyle Janzen actually stopped by with this bottle a few weeks ago during our tasting and even among some big shots (Outpost, To Kalon Wine Company, King Coal) it stood head and shoulders above everything. Has ALL the right stuff, starting with the vineyard. Bacio Divino makes three single-vineyard Cabernets, each from its own rightfully incredible location. Each sparing no expense. This beauty comes entirely from hillside fruit in Cloudy’s Vineyard, which sits at the edge of the Vaca mountains, in a canyon between Switchback Ridge and not far from Hourglass. The vines struggle to produce tiny clusters, with thick skins, and each berry contains neutron star-like density of fruit inside…
Consider this. The other two wines in the Janzen lineup include Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper and To Kalon - both fetching prices into the $200s. Cloudy’s at a mere $95 today is a collectors’ dreams come true kinda buy.
Then there’s the Kirk Venge factor!! How many 94-100 pointers has he made?? We lost count. All we know is he’s a Cab wiz, the guy you call to extract that core of supergiant flavor from prized grapes.
Like that endless silk handkerchief trick, this delivers an Amazonian expanse of rich fruit and dense flavor winding up into a skyscraper-like structure. Waves of warm mulberries, rich cassis, violet tinted blackberry jam, sweet herbs, torrefaction, and cigar box - it’s all there in spades. No expense spared here, raised in a mix of 100% new French Oak; Taransaud, Gamba and Sylvain barrels (tastes just how you like it.) Fine-grained tannins suggest it has years of life ahead - a decade or two easy. A few extra years in the bottle will reward handsomely but it’s oh so irresistible now.
All the serious Cabernet hounds are already grabbing their share - don’t blink or you’ll miss it!
94 Points – Wine Enthusiast
“From the producer’s estate vineyard on the eastern side of the valley, this 100% varietal wine opens in a wealth of nutmeg, cinnamon and clove, giving it a spicy edge on the palate. Dark fruit, toasted oak and thick tannin wrap around each other in well-integrated layers of power and structure.”
93 Points – Jeb Dunnuck
“From the estate vineyard on the east side of the valley, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Janzen Cloudy’s Vineyard is another impressive 2017 from this team, revealing a deep purple hue as well as loads of blackcurrant and black cherry fruit intermixed with plenty of chocolate, graphite, and roasted herb aromas and flavors. Full-bodied and concentrated, with impressive balance, notable tannins, and a solid spine of acidity, drink it any time over the coming 15 years. Drink 2020-2035.”
What the Winery Says
2017 Cloudy's Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
- Winemaker
- Kirk Venge
- Varietal
- 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
- Vintage
- 2017
- Alcohol
- 15.1%
- Appellation
- Calistoga, Napa Valley
- Vineyard
- Cloudy’s Estate Vineyard, planted in 2000
- Colne / roootstock
- 336 on 110R
- Altitude
- 450-500 ft above Dutch Henry Canyon
- Soils
- Sandy loam, volcanic rock and obsidian
- Total acidity
- 6.9 g/L
- pH
- 3.79
- Aging
- 29 months
- Barrels
- 100% new French oak (Taransaud, Gamba, Sylvain from Allier & Tronçais)
- Release Date
- August - 2020