We’re blessed with deep friendships and connections throughout the wine world. Every now and then, one winery friend will introduce us to another and we’ll find a screaming steal of a deal like today’s Ultra QPR (Quality to Price Ratio) Nellcôte 2013 “Rallye 76” Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Limited, so please hurry.

Nellcôte is producing outstanding wines in the traditional, hands-on style that has made Philip so famous.

About today’s wine

In the glass, we find an extremely dark, garnet colored Cabernet which spreads out to a thin ring of bright crimson at the edge. The nose is scintillating with notes of fresh-cut rose mixing gorgeously with the leather, bing cherry, wild strawberry, and with a limestone minerality note. It greets your palate with a welcome medley of flavors such as black currants, rhubarb, fig compote, and potpourri with subtle cacao undertones. From the moment it hits your tongue, this Cab is well received with lush and silky tannin that beguile you because, in fact, this is a robust, structured wine that reveals layers of flavor nuance over time. A thinly sliced, yet perfectly seared flank steak with a fresh chimichurri sauce would be divine alongside this gem.

About the Winemaker

From the age of 12, Phillip worked alongside family in the vineyards. Phillip’s taste for fine wine was developed at the dinner table as Lee shared Bordeaux, California Cabernet Sauvignon, and Zinfandel from the cellar. Phillip’s studies at UC Davis began in agronomy, progressed to viticulture and ultimately to enology. In 1979, Phillip worked harvest for his future in-laws at Quail Ridge. Through the 1980’s he worked at Chappellet and Stratford, Cartlidge and Brown, returning to Chappellet on Pritchard Hill in St. Helena in 1990 to take the position of Winemaker. This new position allowed Phillip to realize the family dream of wine production, and that same year Phillip began making Titus Vineyards Wines.