For today’s Appy Hour we lined up the second entry in the Archival releases.

While there’s far less of this one to go around, it’s an equally compelling blockbuster, and quite literally a 1:1 dupe of the cult-winemaker’s very own final wine.

As producers try to trim some fat, we somehow ended up with the cap from the ribeye. No complaints though.

So you want a taste of something like Colgin, Dalla Valle, or Bryant Family. Buuuuut it’s Tuesday night and you don’t want to knock back $300 worth of Cab.

Here’s your ticket. 95 points from Decanter. Pure RUTHERFORD personality. Again from the incredible 2023 vintage. And again at a mind-bogglingly low price.

Seriously, how many other high scoring Rutherford Cabs can you find around $40? Don’t look too hard…this one’s already on its way to becoming a “yea, sure buddy” mirage once it’s gone…which is surely will be at this cult-clobbering price.

But wait…Archival? If you read the first email, you can skip straight to the good stuff about this wine below. If not, here’s the deal:

This brand-spanking-new project has been taking formation over the last few months and comes from our very own insider, Agent Rhone (birth certificate name reads Mike Meisner) and winemaker Bobby Moy, of Chiron, Brevity, and Black Powder. If you have been around the block long enough you might remember he was also the force behind our very own past “NDA” project, Enigma.

After months of tasting samples, iterating label designs, mountains of paperwork and waiting it’s finally time to unveil the first release - exclusively to our faithful Wine Spies loyalists. And it was worth the wait!

So how does this all go down? We need the details, man!

Bobby and Mike met via a “stagier” at French Laundy back in 2010 and have talked about doing something like this for years. Well, the stars aligned and now it’s a reality. The reality though, is this: it’s a tough market out there for wineries. So what happens when they have a few extra barrels and need to pay the bills? They reach out to a trusted compadre in the industry. Someone who can take it off their hand and move it. Quickly. Quietly. Discreetly.

The timing couldn’t be better, given that the 2023 vintage is shaping up to be a winemaker’s dream - one of the best in decades and possibly EVER in Napa. So we tapped into our network, collected samples, and evaluated the best ones. A few standouts immediately rose to the surface.

This was EASILY the favorite we tasted. Immediate eye-brow raising, expletive-sharing, experience. It was further along than all the other 2023s. More round, fleshy, and fruit-forward.

But it makes sense.

Because Batman has Robin. Harry has Dumbledore. And one of Napa’s most respected winemakers has his own sidekick working behind the scenes to make the magic happen. When this winemaker isn’t helping “one of the most gifted winemakers” and a “first ballot inductee” winemaker turn loose 100-pointers, he makes a very small amount of wine under his own label.

As with Archival’s “NDA” style approach, certain details cannot be revealed. These are, after all, our neighbors, friends, and compatriots in the industry. We need to look them in the eyes, see them in the school drop off line, and plus, we hold a healthy respect for the work they’ve built. We’re not trying to lowball them, or varnish their reputation.

This winemaker - who like Voldemort, shall not be named - held eight barrels for safekeeping at Bobby’s winery in south Napa. And not just scraps, leftovers or extra juice that didn’t make it into the final blend. The remaining four barrels, he’ll bottle and sell for $125 this year. It’s the same wine he passionately make each year, and one that routinely gets 95, 96, 97 points from Jeb Dunnuck and other prominent critics.

At $45, it’s a downright heist that rivals the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum theft in Boston (great Netflix docu, btw).

This is your poster child for a blockbuster “cult” Napa Cab. Compared to Entry no. 001 “Liftoff”, this is more open, flashy, ready to rock and roll out the gate. A crowd pleaser if you will. The wine itself was raised in new French oak, specifically the always popular Taransaud and Darnajou barrels. It has all that sweet, toasty oak nicely integrated with ripe black cherry, creme de cassis, candied violets and sweet walnut. A “superbly perfumed” nose offers fresh saddle leather, Madagascar vanilla, and baking spices carried through the finish.

Considering it’s about as close to a 1:1 dupe from the source, at our price it’s a fantastic buy.

95 points - Decanter “Superbly perfumed, with lovely notes of rose petal and violet, sweet cassis and blackberry preserves, all wrapped in toasty oak and fine dark chocolate. Full-bodied, with fine-grained tannins and a real purity to the fruit. The finish is long, with a distinctly salty, mineral edge. Classically built, with loads to love.””