2013 Castellucci Merlot St. Helena Napa Valley 750 ml

When we saw the dusty, untouched pallet in the corner, we knew we weren’t done tasting for the day.

We hounded our hosts at Castellucci Napa Valley to pry open a box and pop a cork. They indulged us—and what we tasted was the most perfectly aged, silkiest library Merlot we’ve had in half a decade.  

We weren’t leaving without an allocation. 

Shaped by world-class winemaker Jac Cole—an author of polished, long-lived wines at Spring Mountain Vineyards, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, and S. Anderson—this 2013 treasure hails from a gorgeous St. Helena property, not to mention one of the finest seasons of all time: Robert Parker declared it “one of the greatest vintages in 37 years.” 

This is the kind of wine we’re constantly scouring Napa Valley for, but we rarely dare to hope for a ‘13. They’re just too rare—and normally they’re too expensive.

Founded by Italian immigrant and property magnate Antonio Castellucci—a true American success story—the Castellucci family has owned and farmed land in Napa Valley for over 20 years. They own 50 acres spread over prime sites in the Spring Mountain, Carneros, Rutherford, and St. Helena AVAs. This comes from their family's Fern Rock Vineyard on Spring Mountain, just up the road from Fantesca. The vineyard is managed by Antonio's son Marco and his team, who give it undivided attention year-round.

Robert Parker rated the 2013 vintage 98 points and called it "one of the most epic and awesome vintages the north coast of California has ever produced." Predictably, there was a run on 2013s back in 2016-2018, and they mostly disappeared from the market. We never expected to get access to a library release like this.