Meyer Family Cellars, Bonny’s Vineyard, Oakville 2016. Sound familiar? Yes, and no.

Of course, you recognize the name from past sales. The 2014 vintage of the same wine came and went in a matter of hours.

But this 2016 vintage was NEVER released to retail outside of Napa…EVER (not even to the press)!

By opening this email you’ve activated a portal to another world. One where you have a brief chance to return with a back vintage from one of Napa’s most storied vineyards (THE original Silver Oak Vineyard).

FOR OVER 60% OFF.

That 2014 is drinking beautifully right now, still with 5 to 10 years left. The 2016 is a different beast entirely. 2016 is a Cellar Edition.

Decant it and watch it explode to life. Or lock it away and open it at your 20th anniversary when everyone’s doing the funky chicken. Either way, this vintage is a collector’s dream.

The critics back this vintage up:

Galloni, Vinous – "2016 is a captivating vintage from top to bottom… destined to become icons."

Wine Spectator – 98 points. Highest-rated Napa Cab vintage since 1997. Classic territory.

Wine Advocate – 98 points. "Extraordinary! Youthful and slow to mature." Music to a collector's ear.

Four years of drought-stressed vines plus a near-perfect growing season produced something remarkable. Aromatically it leads with Oakville/Rutherford dust, morello cherry, cassis, vanilla and spice box. The palate delivers concentrated black cherry, elderberry and dark plum, lifted by vibrant freshness, fine-grained tannins and that unmistakable gravel minerality that makes every sip feel like the first. (Applause, please.)

Drinking Note We decanted ours for several hours before it hit its stride and when it did, the room erupted with excitement. Seriously, so many excited conversations! Most notably the consistency from vintage to vintage of exceptional quality, depth and vineyard representation. I hear the term terroir thrown around like recycling. It’s a bit of controversial talking point. I prefer site characteristics, because every vineyard is unique. The real magic in a wine, is when you don’t lose the characteristics that make that site special. That’s why Bonny’s Vineyard is so sought after. It’s so small, Legendary! Justin Meyer (Silver Oak co-founder) was a legend in every sense of the word.

Legends are made by people with conviction. Icons are made by time. That is exactly what Justin Meyer did.

Bonny’s Vineyard was made famous by Silver Oak and its revolutionary 100% American oak regimen, and this wine honors that tradition to the letter: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, 100% American oak, aged 34 months in barrel. When Justin and Bonny founded Meyer Family Cellars, resurrecting this 3.8-acre vineyard was always the mission. And for good reason, the original Silver Oak “Bonny’s” designate was one of their most sought-after Cabernets until demand overwhelmed supply and the last vintage was bottled in 1991. Silver Oak never released another single vineyard wine again. (Sigh… LUCKY US)

Silver Oak did still continue sourcing the fruit through 1999 as it formed the backbone of their Napa Valley bottling, just before Justin replanted the vineyard that same year with plans to bring Bonny’s back as its own wine. Tragically, he passed away just one month before the first crop was picked in 2002.

Few Napa Cabs carry this kind of history. Fewer still helped define an entire style. One sniff and you’re instantly transported back in early Silver Oak Napa Valley Cabernet territory. The blueprint that changed American wine forever. These stories may be 20+ years old, but origin stories never get old.

Think Pappy Van Winkle. Think of a first vinyl pressing or first edition of something that sets the standard everything else gets measured against. Bonny’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is that first edition and this 2016 vintage is CELLAR WORTHY… DECANT IT… Piece of GREATNESS!!

And the neighbors? These aren’t the neighbors you politely smile at and run from. Stationed at the northern border of Oakville and Rutherford, Bonny’s Vineyard sits in ELITE company with Two Beckstoffer Heritage vineyards (Georges III and To Kalon), Accendo, Gargiulo and Groth all within shouting distance.

Prime steak. Prime real estate. In the land of luxury Cab and at a price that defies logic at $67 for a rare historical library vintage with super small yields never before released….

Rarely do we get something this special, and most days you’re forking over $150+ for the opportunity.