2017 Delightful and Strange Red Wine Napa Valley 750 ml

The Delightful & Strange Proprietary bottling has been one of our top red blends ever—a best-seller each year we’ve released it, even up against the likes of blue-chip brands like Hidden Ridge and Keenan.

Over 30 perfect 5-star ratings attest to its record popularity with the Wine Access customer base, as do reviews including remarks like “Excellent value” and “Have already ordered more.”

We ordered more too. Our third iteration of this cuvée is as big and bold as ever, and locked in at an even better price. Napa’s 2017 vintage had tremendous values if you knew the right places to look. A number of top Napa wineries whose names are synonymous with exclusivity and pedigree had surplus grapes they were willing to part with—provided those priceless names were kept out of the offer.

When we were walking our CFO through the five celebrated Napa vineyards utilized for this blend, his eyes lit up. “It’s like a steakhouse wine list in a bottle!” he said. Indeed, this Delightful & Strange blending brings the chophouse feel to your living room with its deep, powerful warmth, terrific grip, and suave pencil shaving and vanilla coating of dense, black, briary fruit. 

Lately, our thoughts have been trending to memories of some of our favorite bars and restaurants in the country. This bottle brings to mind the stalwart Midtown icon of New York, Keens Steakhouse—a low-lit, wood-paneled time machine once frequented by J. P. Morgan, Teddy Roosevelt, and Babe Ruth. 

Our go-to is an ice-cold Martini at the bar (Beefeater, up with a twist). Iceberg lettuce wedge to start, then the legendary mutton chop with a side of mashed potatoes and carrots in brown butter. All accompanied by a fantastic, richly textured Napa red like this one, selected from Keens’ always-reliable wine list.

The grape sources for this wine are among the very same names you’d see perusing that list. These five vineyards have produced many wines rated 99 and 100 points in Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. Petit Verdot hailing from a historic site in Conn Valley provides the big-shouldered, bold body, softened and made supple with Merlot from one of the greatest growers in Carneros. Prime organic hillside vineyards in Geyserville pump up the blend with a powerfully structured Cabernet Sauvignon, while Cabernet Franc from a Pritchard Hill icon adds the perfect dose of earthiness and acidity.

Juicy and yet fresh, this is a superb food wine that will drink just beautifully on its own. For an unheard of value price, it’s our own, exclusive proprietary blend of Napa’s elite.