Deep Cover: “…for collectors who stash bottles of the single vineyard Cabernet wines from Lokoya in their cellar.”

Or for any Chris Carpenter fan. Or anyone who just appreciates the finer things in life.

This library release from an EPIC vintage is hitting peak drinkability. And the $75 price here is about as rare a sight as Gio Reyna’s Trivela goal against Paraguay last week.

The list of rare form factors goes on…

First it’s a 99 pointer per JS. It also sits at #12 on their 2024 top-100 wines of the world list. Next add triple 97s, with Jeb Dunnuck endorsing it “as top Napa Cabernet Sauvignon goes, it’s a terrific value.”

This “best ever” release is highly allocated. But times are tough, and we acquired the keys to that cellar for you for the day. Last time we secured just SEVEN cases. This time? A bit more… but it’s never enough.

The talented Chris Carpenter of **Lokoya, Cardinale, and La Jota, ** puts some of his finest efforts into this wine. And we put our finest negotiation efforts to get insane deal. Priced WAY below his other wines and delivering the same full-throttle style, towering structure, and neuron-blasting enjoyment factor.

Carpenter has been making legendary wines for years now, and they always come stacked with 95-100 points from the critics. If that name is new to you, here’s a great read.

Mt. Brave is a younger project, and the core of the fruit comes from what was once Chateau Potelle’s aptly named “VGS,” as in Very Good $hit vineyard. If you’re old enough to remember Chateau Potelle, you already know what a special property it is - and the rugged hillside fruit it delivers.

It’s massively concentrated, with skyscraper structure and mouthcoating OMG-hell-yes richness deeper than the Mariana Trench. An avalanche of ripe blackberries, créme de cassis and kirsch, candied walnut, violet, tobacco, graphite, and roasted espresso. Ripe tannins, incredible purity of fruit, with a long finish. Pure opulence today hitting a glorious peak, give it 5-10 years, and it ought to continue to get better…

Serious Cab lovers! Missing out on this would hurt - you’ll be happy you did not for years to come.

99 Points – James Suckling “A fabulous wine of focus and polish with very fine tannins that caress your palate and give great length to the finish. Medium to full body. The aromas of violets and currants are so beautiful. Dreamy. Best ever? A blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot, 1% Malbec, and 1% Petit Verdot. Give it three to four years to soften.”

97 Points – Decanter “Winemaker Chris Carpenter says that his Mt. Brave Cabernet Sauvignon from Mt. Veeder is intended to serve as a counterpoint to the La Jota Cabernet, which is from Howell Mountain, but that each wine showcases a softer expression of mountain Cabernet, and one that is poised for earlier drinking for collectors who stash bottles of the single vineyard Cabernet wines from Lokoya in their cellar. The soils atop Mt. Veeder are volcanic and sedimentary, and two sites provide the grapes for Mt. Brave. One is the Mt. Brave Vineyard, formerly Chateau Potelle Vineyard, and the site is above the fog line on the northern part of Mt. Veeder, where the soils are well-draining, and yields are generally two tons per acre in good vintages. The other is Veeder Peak Estate. Each site is about 24ha. This blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot, 1% Malbec, and 1% Petit Verdot was aged 23 months in 80% new French oak. Super fragrant with black fruits, black cherry, and graphite minerality with violets and cherry liqueur undertones. Full-bodied with pronounced tannins that have a chalkiness about them, balanced by very soft and supple fruit that makes this wine so approachable in its youth. An extended finish is marked by blue fruit and pronounced garrigue, blue agave syrup, sage, and crushed cocoa nibs. Drinking window 2024-2045.”

97 Points – Jeb Dunnuck “The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder is 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Cabernet Franc. It’s a classic Mountain Cabernet with full-bodied richness and ample, although velvety, tannins as well as pure cassis and currant-like fruits, gorgeous mid-palate depth and opulence on the palate, and beautiful complexity in its tobacco, graphite, and bouquet garni-like nuances. It’s another remarkable wine from Carpenter that has some upfront accessibility today yet deserves 3-4 years in the cellar. It will have two decades of overall longevity, and as top Napa Cabernet Sauvignon goes, it’s a terrific value. Drink 2027-2047.”

97 Points – Owen Bargreen “The 2021 Mt. Brave Cabernet Sauvignon is inky in the glass, offering mountain huckleberry and black raspberry notes on the nose alongside graphite and shades of dried herbs. The palate is rich and viscous with incredible underlying tension. Pencil lead, anise, creme de cassis and chocolate cake notes all combine on the palate. A joy to consume now, savor this beauty over the next twenty years to come. Drink 2024-2044.”