2015 Coho Merlot Michael Black Vineyard Coombsville Napa Valley 750 ml

Wine Access members need no introduction to Coho. The overachieving reds from owner Gary Lipp and 100-point winemaker Phil Titus (of Chappellet fame) have sold out nearly every vintage five years running, and racked up some of the highest member ratings in the extraordinarily competitive "bold red" category. 

The stats aren’t lost on Lipp, which is why he offered us 25 cases of something rare: his tiny-production single-vineyard Coombsville Merlot. Nobody gets this. For Coho fans and lovers of what Vinous calls “dark, sumptuous, intense” reds, this is the jackpot—and one that will be gone in short order. 

When James Suckling reviewed Coho’s 2015 Michael Black Vineyard Merlot at the end of 2017, he called it “excellent,” recommending readers give it a year or two. Three years later, it’s drinking like a 95-pointer at half the cost. 

When we call a wine "plush," this is exactly what we mean. The nose is downright gorgeous, brimming with warm fruit and tantalizing spice—Madagascar vanilla, mint, and bay leaf—but the real heroics begin with the silky palate. Overflowing with class, this feels as good as it tastes—think of chocolate-covered dark berries melting in your mouth. Matching the luxurious opulence step-for-step is Coombsville’s high-toned vibrancy, which lends balance and lift to this rare red. 

Founded by Lipp—a 30-year wine industry veteran and alum of Paul Hobbs, Chalone, Robert Mondavi, and eventually Chappellet, where he first met Titus—Coho embodies pure Napa pedigree. 

Since 2013, Phil Titus has been at the winemaking helm of Coho, stewarding wines like this one to dense, fruit-laden fame. Titus made his name crafting lush, decadent, 100-point reds at Chappellet, and added to his superstardom with his namesake Titus label, which Robert Parker has noted for its “consistent high quality” year after year. 

Both pedigree and genius are on full display in the 2015 Michael Black Vineyard Merlot. The vineyard itself was planted by legendary Napa vintner Michael Black in 1987 and showcases Black’s personal Merlot clone, known as “Black” Merlot. Recognizing the rare combination of concentration and cool-climate elegance yielded by these extraordinary grapes, Gary Lipp has locked in the entire production since 2004. 

In the hands of Phil Titus, this incredible fruit is free to express itself in all its grandeur. Just 180 cases were made, and we’re offering our share to Wine Access Napa collectors, and lovers of bold reds. Don’t miss it.