2016 Peter Paul Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

Martin was late...again.

To be frank, it wasn’t a surprise. He’d been late the entire time we’d known him—for drinks, to his Master of Wine tasting group, and now to this meeting. To make matters worse, he was the one that set it up! 

We were both in New York on a beautiful fall day, and he wanted us to try samples of his 2016 Peter Paul Cabernet, which seemed late in and of itself. We’d been trying ‘17s from other producers for months, and samples of 2018s were starting to find their way to our offices, but here was Martin, with a ‘16 Napa Cab—one that he wasn’t even ready to release!

He finally showed up, panting from the sprint up the stairs. After he caught his breath and popped the bottle, it was clear this was worth the wait. The nose started off hyper-classical, with juicy black cherry, cassis, and mocha, before revealing an extra layer of fruit density. On the palate, we got waves of more black cherries, plums, and baking spice, with a hint of tobacco on a long finish supported by tannins that had started to knit together beautifully.

In short, it was stunning. The extra age brought composure and completeness to the wine—the kind that only comes from extended time in bottle. 

This is a Napa Cabernet that you'd expect a Master of Wine to make, and that’s exactly what Martin is. Master of Wine Martin Reyes has one of the best palates in the game, honed by his time running the New York Times and Williams-Sonoma Wine Clubs and becoming one of just 52 Masters of Wine in the US. That experience has made him into one of Napa’s premier blenders, bringing fruit from Rutherford, Yountville, and St. Helena into a wine that speaks of classic Napa with its tobacco and graphite while retaining everything we love about modern Cabernet with big fruit and a plush texture. 

We knew we had to offer it to Wine Access members… but Martin made us wait, again.

So now, ten months after that initial tasting, we’re finally able to present the 2016 Peter Paul Napa Valley Cabernet. A throwback wine, it has an old-school price and a release date that reminds us of bygone days, when wineries would do much of the aging work for their clients. At just $45, this is a wine that you’re going to want to drink now, tomorrow, next year, and a decade down the road.

Wine and Spirits magazine recently named the ‘16 Peter Paul Cabernet one of the Best US Cabernets of 2019, awarding it a 93-point score and a Best Buy designation—a feat for a wine that’s under $50. If anything, though, that undersells how good the wine is today: It’s a classic bottling that we can’t get enough of.

This wine was worth waiting for, but it's not one to wait around on. Martin didn’t make much—and you don’t have his kind of time to put it in your cellar.