2016 Kinfolk Red Wine Napa Valley 750 ml

Kinfolk means family, and we’re sharing this 2016 Kinfolk Napa Valley Red with friends and family pricing today in our best-ever deal yet from Wine Access-favorite winemakers Britt Nichols and Ry Richards: Directly from a vineyard whose own releases retail for $75 and up, this Kinfolk red is just $25. 

Among other raves from practically every important critic, Wine Enthusiast has called wines grown in these vineyards “massively constructed” and “deeply impressive.” 

Previous Kinfolk releases have likewise garnered rave reviews: “Anything with Britt Nichols name on it should be purchased immediately and by the caseload,” wrote one happy Wine Access Member. Others chimed in too, noting Kinfolk wine “Makes you want to sip more and more,” and lamenting “I wish I had bought much more!” 

“Much more” is possible today, but probably not for long—just 88 cases remain of the 2016, which hails from Napa’s “vintage of the century.” And trust us when we say Kinfolk is Napa’s swanky Coombsville AVA at its finest, priced to stack by the case. 

Like so many great wines, this outstanding Kinfolk release is the result of pure serendipity:

It was a warm Napa Valley night, and Britt Nichols was playing first base. The count was 3-2, two out, and the bases were loaded. If they got this last out, the Rhinos (really!) would win the Napa Valley adult league softball championship. 

As the batter dug in, Britt talked a little good-natured smack to the runner on base. Only when he chirped back, laughing, did she realize who he was. Then the pitcher wound up, and… not even Britt noticed what happened next. Because she had just struck up a conversation with a famed Napa Valley grower whose Coombsville fruit she’d coveted for years. Win, lose—all of a sudden, softball wasn’t on Britt’s mind. 

The stakes were raised—getting her hands on stellar Napa grapes was the goal now.

That chance meeting, and a few post-game beers (the last batter struck out), led to the 2016 Kinfolk Red: A ruby stunner and a grand-slam value bursting with just-picked fruit flavor and an irresistible velvety mouthfeel. It doesn’t matter that Napa City lost to Rutherford that night in 2016, because this value red is an absolute victory, especially at $25. 

We can’t name names, but Britt had struck up a conversation with one of the most conscientious, passionate personalities in the entire Napa Valley, a grower whose Coombsville stronghold is well known for its inky and aromatic Bordeaux varieties. 

Britt added some fruit from an up-valley estate, a St. Helena stalwart that has been growing grapes for over 150 years. Organic farming on the primarily alluvial soils, gorgeously mature vines, and hand-picking have combined here to result in wines of balance, complexity, and unforgettable length.

Britt talked about the art of blending as she poured the ruby ‘16 for us—after she told us the story about the fortuitous first-base meeting. “I actually prefer to make red blends, to be honest,” she explained. “I get really excited by the flexibility I have when I’m working with multiple grape varieties. It’s like, I can express the land and the fruit and myself better through the blends. Plus, I think they provide a bigger bang for the buck, which is only one of the reasons I tend to drink them so often myself!”

The 2016 opens with a tidal wave of vibrant black fruit, tobacco, sweet spice, mocha, and pepper. It's impeccably balanced from its lifted aromatics to its long finish. The 2016 showing brilliantly already, with the tannins just beginning to soften after four years of age.

After taking our first sip, we didn’t ask many more questions, because the wine justified every decision Britt made. The 2016 Kinfolk Red, (named in homage to the relationships that sustain Napa Valley’s vibrant reputation) is a dynamic, rich, exciting wine, resulting from one of the most consequential strikeouts in Napa Valley history. Britt and the Rhinos won a big one that night. So did we.