Our ongoing quest to find the next ambrosial treasure takes us to uncharted waters today. And WOW! We laid claim to a truly unique, uber-rare discovery.

Library vintages from Blackbird Vineyards’ Auction Napa Valley Cuvées.

Yes, you read that right.

Very few wine drinkers have a chance to experience these wines. Most don’t even know they exist. As they’re rarely seen on the open market - unless the winery held some back after the auction.

The opening bids on Blackbird lots were roughly $250 a bottle before things went up from there.

FACT: In the year 2000, a bottle of Screaming Eagle went for $500,000 at ANV. As North Bay Business Journal recently reported “Over the years, the live auction has piqued the interest of the wine world with a highfalutin pairing of celebrity with outrageous disposable income. Politicians, producers, entertainers and musicians converged under the white tent and they included notables like then-Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, Francis Ford Coppola, Jay Leno, Oprah Winfrey and Lyle Lovett. But even they couldn’t compete with the jaw-dropping show of affluence that spiraling bids commanded.”

But to see these for our price today? Unheard of. We scored small shares of a couple of vintages – stellar years that are long sold out. Emphasis on “small” - there’s very little of each to go around.

Auction Napa Valley began in 1981 as a small group of top vintners came together with the aim to raise money for community health and children’s education through their very best fundraising efforts.

These small production cuvées represent the cream of the crop. Usually, a single barrel composition, as is the case here, with Cabernet Sauvignon in the lead and other Bordeaux varietals adding complexity.

Blackbird Vineyards is at the top of their game. For nearly thirty years they’ve been pumping out ultra-premium wines. None other than Aaron Pott puts his magic touch on this one. The guy’s a freak of winemaking nature - he started at Newton before migrating to Bordeaux as the winemaker at Château Troplong-Mondot, and then jumped over to Château La Tour Figeac in Saint- Émilion. He’s also worked at Beringer, Quintessa, Quixote, Seven Stones, Perliss. He consults for a variety of super-high-end wineries including Blackbird, while he also makes his own Pott Wines. He sits among a rarified group of elite winemakers, the crème de la crème of Napa Valley.

If you know Aaron’s style, you know what to expect here. Dark, inky, and BIG-bodied, yet ethereal bot aromatically and once sipped. The blackest blackberries and cassis, leather and torrefaction, mocha and tobacco all layered perfectly in a deep, mouth-coating texture. The 2017 here is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, with 40% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot. Add 100% love to that as the wine is COMPLETE and seamless, a sultry, mind-blowing blend that bewilderingly transports you to the auction venue the day of, where celebrities roam, and bids are out of control. It’s pure Napa Valley magic, right here in our glasses, leaving the senses flabbergasted on overdrive.

We could go on and on, but if you haven’t checked out yet, it may be too late.