Mission Codename Loaves of love
MORE Morgado? For reals?
So, yes, technically we ran through the final inventory with a Store Takeover back in February.
So where did this 95-97 point Phoenix rise from?
We wondered the same thing when they called on us. Then a story unwound about a high-end Napa destination with this wine served by-the-glass rotation. During an inventory count they came across this half pallet, and felt was a bit more than they can go work through in time.
That’s where we come in because frankly, a HALF PALLET is barely enough to last a few hours. Our thirsty Ops can make that disappear like cheap David Blaine magic trick. In fact, it’s depleting now, as you read this…
Robert Parker was spot on “Kimberly has obviously picked up a few lessons from her mentor, Russell Bevan, as these are all full-throttle, complex, savory, mouth-filling, delicious wines.”
Very much deserving of the 95-97 points from Jeb. A pleasure bomb built to thrill and if you’ve had these wines before, you already know the deal. (And you probably aren’t even reading this still ‘cause you’ve already checked out.) This price once again is absolutely, certifiably not a figment of imagination. Below $50 for this caliber is truly unbelievable but believe it!
Proprietor Kimberly Hatcher is a force of her own. The San Francisco firefighter-turned-winemaker comes from the Russel Bevan school of winemaking perfection. After all, it’s still made at Elyse under Bevan’s watchful eye. The protege learned more than a few tricks from the Master, and she turns them all loose in this wine. It almost seems the apprentice has now become a Master.
Leaning into the Bevan connection offers some prime fruit sources. Sugarloaf is one of his favorites, along with a select few other top names like Argot, Chappellet, PerUs, Rudius, Purlieu, and Venge. It’s a rugged pile of rocks in Southern Napa. As an interesting fact in this video:
Bevan points out how they thin the foliage around the Cab Franc clusters early in the season. This allows the sun to hit the grapes immediately and helps curb the pyrazines that can sometimes dominate Cab Franc. The result is more “noble qualities” such as blueberry, tobacco, and sweet flowers, along with those “big, chocolatey fruits” Jeb loved come from. The more you know!!
This combines that lovely Cab Franc with juicy Merlot and the resulting blend pushes boundaries harder than my three-year-old son. Think juicy chocolate decadence and lush fruit complexities. Chalky tannins, toasty sweet oak (100% new), and stony minerality firm up the complexity. It all adds up to an incredibly satisfying, hedonistic treat.
Did we say that this little miracle is the VERY LAST of the Morgados?!
You know what to do…
95-97 Points – Jeb Dunnuck
“The 2019 Red Wine Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard is cut from the same cloth as the 2018 and has a rich, full-bodied, nicely layered style revealing big, chocolatey fruits as well as notes of scorched earth and graphite. As with all the wines from Morgado, it brings loads of pleasure and is already a joy to drink.”
What the Winery Says
2019 Sugarloaf Mountain Napa Valley Cabernet Blend
- Winemaker
- Kimberly Hatcher
- Varietals
- 65% Cabernet Franc, 35% Merlot
- Vintage
- 2019
- Alcohol
- 15.9%
- Appellation
- Napa Valley
- Vineyard
- Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard
- Aging
- 22 months
- Barrels
- 100% new French oak
- Production
- 9 barrels