2017 LAZ Wine Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

There are Napa Valley insider wines, and then there’s the LAZ Cabernet Sauvignon. Crafted by über-cult winemaker Celia Welch, there are only three places that non-mailing-list members can obtain it: Michelin three-star The French Laundry, or legendary Napa restaurants Mustards and PRESS—all of which are within a few miles of Wine Access HQ.

Wine Access members snapped up our first two vintages of LAZ Cabernet, and this year there’s even less to go around. Welch and proprietor Kerrin Laz made just 95 cases in 2017, which makes us fortunate to have the only allocation in the retail market—and absolutely sure that this vintage will go even faster than before. 

Those who are quick to stake their claim will get the kind of cult-quality Cabernet that made Celia Welch a household name among collectors. The wine is deep, dark, and concentrated, offering a complex mélange of sun-kissed wild blueberries and dark cocoa nibs, kissed with red roses and violets. The palate shows generous notes of red fruit, layered with graphite and espresso, all carried on an intricate frame and finishing with ultra-lush tannins. 

The very first time a rare bottle of LAZ Cabernet hit our office in Napa, it caused a stampede. VP of Wine Eduardo Dingler marched in and announced “a killer cult Cabernet from Celia Welch!” 

Immediately, desks were abandoned, and everyone gathered around to get a tiny taste of the kind of silky, integrated, plush Cabernet that made Welch—the Food & Wine magazine Winemaker of the Year behind Corra, who has also made wine at Staglin, Keever, Barbour, and Signorello—one of the most celebrated and sought-after winemakers in the world. 

A few years ago, when we found out Kerrin Laz was producing a wine, we had no doubt it would be great. Kerrin’s the former wine director for DEAN & DELUCA International, and a dedicated philanthropist who in 2019 was nominated for Wine Enthusiast’s Social Visionary of the Year award for raising awareness of and funds for Alzheimer’s in Napa Valley. Knowing her passion and her dedication to California wines, we knew Kerrin would cut no corners in her pursuit of excellence. 

Not cutting corners is one thing. Enlisting Celia Welch—who is behind some of the most in-demand cult wines in Napa Valley history—is another. By signing Welch up as winemaker, Kerrin essentially declared her intention to make a wine that stands alongside the greatest of Napa Valley, bar none.

“It’s a testament to Celia’s winemaking that during harvest, she will take countless calls from newer winemakers,” Kerrin told us. “They were calling with last-minute questions,” and Welch would give them the exact advice they needed to help them, knowing that it could make or break their vintage that year. 

That unfathomable depth of Napa experience is apparent in Welch’s own wines as well. “Wine is all about texture, and it helps to define a wine,” Kerrin told us as we sipped the 2017 on the patio of the Oxbow Public Market on a gorgeous October day. “That’s one of the reasons why I wanted to work with Celia. That’s the characteristic that I love in all the wines she produces—the tannins are integrated and polished, and showcase all the fruit and secondary flavors in the glass.” 

The 2017 LAZ is composed of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, with Malbec, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot all sourced from prestigious sites located in Napa Valley’s Oakville, Rutherford, Coombsville, and Yountville AVAs. Aged for 19 months in 60% new French oak, it was bottled without fining or filtration—something that Celia insists upon, and is possible because of her expertise when crafting the wine. 

“I learned that fining and filtering can mask some flaws,” Kerrin said. “If you’ve done your job well, in the vineyard and the winery, then fining and filtering isn’t necessary. We bottled exactly what went into barrel.” 

The finished product is an assertive, rich, cult-quality Cabernet from one of the winemakers who invented the category. Only 95 cases were produced—and the only ones that will make it outside of Napa Valley’s most prestigious restaurants will be headed to the cellars of Wine Access members. Be quick if you want to be among them!