Mission Codename MIRAcle Monday
Just landed! 96 and 94 points! Best price on planet earth!
Surf’s up! Seriously. We threw on our galoshes and slogged through a flooded street just to get into the office today because we know how much you love a good Napa Cab. And this one checks all the boxes - sexy, plush, and deep flavor, terrific scores, oh, and of course, THE PRICE.
Mira has been crushing it for many years now under the direction of Gustavo Gonzalez - a veteran winemaker, who started out as a harvest sampler at Robert Mondavi in 1995. He rose the ranks fast and spent 17 years as Head Red Winemaker establishing their famous To-Kalon-based Reserve Cab as one of the best examples in the region and earning countless 95+ scores along the way. Amid such an illustrious career he somehow managed to sneak in a couple of harvests at Ornellaia, helping craft the 100-pointer 2001 Masseto, described by Wine Spectator as ‘possibly the best Tuscan red ever!’
Another fun fact about Mira: at a blind tasting commemorating the historic Judgement of Paris and featuring eight of the world’s top wines from Bordeaux and the Napa Valley, a 2012 Mira Cabernet took the top slot for Cabernet from the Napa Valley besting Screaming Eagle, Schrader To Kalon, and Shafer Hillside Select.
Okay, okay, all that hype aside, let’s get to the good stuff. The wine! It’s awash with warm blackberry pie, dusted with cocoa, and flowing with sage and other savory herbs. Really just SO. MUCH. FRUIT. Add to the mix some figs, minerality, and earthiness. Draw that out into a long finish, and circle back around for another do-si-do pure enjoyment.
Somm Journal’s note comes with a hint at the spectacular terroir here, the Chandon Vineyard neighbors Dominus just to the north!
Now the bad news. We failed to secure as much as we hoped for. Forecasting a sell-out, so get some while it’s here!
96 Points – Somm Journal
“The nose is so opulent that there are great expectations for lushness of flavor and texture: Scents of violets, graphite, tilled soil, and toasted oak are almost indulgent. Brilliant, fleshy boysenberry and a coating of licorice initiate the bold flavors and determined grip. Violets and slate tannins run in tandem with black olive, soy sauce, sage, and black pepper. From the Chandon Vineyard, a site with abundant morning sun and good water retention, it aged for 18 months in (75% new) French oak.”
94 Points, Editor’s Choice – Wine Enthusiast
“This wine is herbal and earthy, driven by a note of pencil shavings on the nose. The palate shows intriguing complexity and undeniable power. Dark chocolate adds a lasting rich note alongside a hint of crushed rock.”
What the Winery Says
2017 Yountville Cabernet Sauvignon
- Consulting winemaker
- Gustavo A. Gonzalez
- Varietal
- 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
- Vintage
- 2017
- Alcohol
- 14.5%
- Appellation
- Yountville, Napa Valley
- Vineyard
- Chandon Vineyard
- Total acidity
- 5.9 g/L
- pH
- 3.84
- Aging
- 18 months
- Barrels
- 100% French Oak (75% new)