“Whenever I hear the usual ‘Napa is too corporate’ complaint, I try to (nicely) tell the person that there is a long list of family-owned wineries in the valley. From first-generation labels such as Keplinger, Favia, and Rivers-Marie to multigenerational operations like Togni, Spottswoode, Salvestrin, Titus, Honig, Chappellet, Continuum, Seavey, Morisoli and many more. You can also add FRIAS to that list.” – James Molesworth, Wine Spectator, 2024

A few weeks ago, we rolled this out, and some of you went wild for it.

Others, however, seemed to miss it entirely. So back by popular demand, one of our proudest scores this year - FRIAS!!

Claudia C in our Facebook group wrote: “The Frias wine being offered today is one of my favorites!! If you’ve not had it, you definitely need to try it!!

And she wasn’t alone. Another savvy Op, Ken, echoed that sentiment: “I’m absolutely ecstatic about today’s featured wine, the Frias Family 2019 cab. I just bought a case. I’ve had many of their wines and have been to a wine tasting at their vineyard (pic below) Absolutely amazing wines!”

It doesn’t get much better than a Frias Cab at this price. It’s easily one of our biggest scores this year. You won’t see it on the competition’s website. And certainly, nowhere for under $40. The rest of the year you’ll pay $80-$85 for this bottle.

Some of you might know this treasured family producer from high on Spring Mountain. Pride, Marston Lokoya, Keenan, Fantesca, Paloma… the list goes on. And FRIAS is one of the crown jewels of the AVA.

Manny Frias bought a property in the Spring Mountain District in 1977 and by 1985, they had planted their first vineyard. And three decades later his sons Manny Jr. and Fernando continue the tradition of making world-class wines with help from winemaker Todd Heth who often scores 95+. Beyond their own vineyard they source fruit from a few select locations in Oakville and Yountville.

An immense core of dark red fruit sets this apart from your usual run-of-the-mill Napa Cabernet. Some are inky black, and others - like this one - lean toward the big red fruit spectrum. Personally, I love that style. It seems to retain a bit more freshness, vibrancy, and energy. But it still packs a lot of power and will satisfy a wide range of Napa Cab fans for sure. Big but not heavy. Bright but not light. In other words, just right.

Red twists, dark raspberry, Bing cherries, red currant, cassis. Very plush, seamless, and richly fruited. It’s like they captured the essence of sweet cherry pie, crust, and all, and transformed it into a magical elixir. Stacked in the front, back, and side to side. There’s not a world where you taste this and say “Meh.” With just 400 cases made, we’re lucky to have enough to spare on this quiet humpday.

There’s a 99% chance when this hits your lips it will become one of your favorite Cabs of the year. It’s that good. And at this price, it’s an absolute no-brainer. Get as much as you can justify because you’ll be sad when your final bottle is empty…