Here’s a little verse… gents and ladies

We could’ve told you what this wine is

Then we’d have to REALLY go sell PIES

So we go Classified, cause we’re spies

Where did this poetic urge come from on a Tuesday? An opportunity so inspiring, it just flows…

It was the only way we could get you more than half off one of Oakville’s most prized properties.

For reasons that will soon become clear, these wines can be so good, so scarce, or so exclusive that they must hide behind a closely guarded veil of secrecy.

You rarely, if ever, see these bottles at a discount. And because some wineries are very price-sensitive, their mailing list members would go ballistic seeing a deep deal on it.

Unless…

We go full redaction – CLASSIFIED – über-top-secret black ops mission style.

Revealing the name would put our livelihood at stake. Our industry is built on relationships and not wanting to ruffle feathers, sometimes it’s a necessary precaution to redact some of the information.

HOWEVER, we can drop a trail of breadcrumbs… so let the games begin!

Let’s start with winemaker Françoise Peschon - celebrating her 40th harvest in Napa Valley this year, with many 100-pointers under her belt, along with numerous Winemaker of the Year designations.

Next clue, accolades. While we can’t be too open about those without compromising anonymity, we will say that Vinous called this wine “one of Napa Valley’s undiscovered jewels” back in the day. One more clue, we did offer an older vintage of this wine when it was so, but guess what, guilty as charged of not being able to keep them “undiscovered” for long. The rising scores helped, too, of course. This vintage naturally has glowing reviews from at least SIX prominent critics that we could find. Like the letter clandestinely written with letters cut off a newspaper, here’s a jumbled up tasting note showing how they all agree on it one hundred percent:

“I love its aromatics… boldly bursts from the glass… velvety and open-knit… maintains refinement and balance… bright, vibrant, and focused, this Cabernet is all class…from a great vineyard.”

And that brings us to our last clue, this is a big one for the savviest Ops out there. The vineyard, owned by the proprietors, for over 40 years supplied fruit to the likes of BOND, Dalla Valle, and TOR before launching their own wines, and everyone consistently crafts very highly rated Cabs from this magical site. Neighbors include Harlan Estate, Dominus, and the Beckstoffers. We are in Oakville after all!

We already said too much, clean us out while we go source some more pies, just in case we get that call.

Tick, tock, tick, tock…