2017 The Phoenix Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

This is a wine siphoned off from a multimillion-dollar cellar. It’s a Cabernet Sauvignon that has never been made available to anyone else, and it represents an incredible opportunity to acquire a bottle from a Napa icon.

We know the estate behind this release intimately: We’ve celebrated birthdays in the grand, raftered dining room; spent late nights in the fermentation rooms and cave; and sipped wines at the long oak table with visiting stars.

The resplendently rich 2017 The Phoenix Cabernet Sauvignon is the result of that deeply personal partnership, formed not just out of professional convenience but deep friendship.

We have to refrain from naming the estate—one that many of you are already passionately dedicated to as fans. It’s a winery that Robert Parker has counted among his Napa Valley “superstars,” and that Food & Wine has called “one of the Valley’s most exquisite small gems.”

This hallowed house hones single-vineyard releases to perfection. Collectors carve out precious space for these cuvées—which have nabbed numerous 98-100-point scores from Wine Advocate—on their cult-Cabernet shelves alongside bottles of Harlan, Colgin, Screaming Eagle, and Dalla Valle.

Those with a talent for blind tasting may even be able to pick up on a few signature tells, as this release absolutely typifies the estate’s touchstone style: creamy in texture, brooding, and explosively powerful. It pours deep purple, with notions of blackberry, cedar, dried herbs, and fresh tobacco drifting up from the glass. Firm, granular tannins support a sturdy frame as black cherry, mocha, and allspice mingle harmoniously on the palate.

Born of friendship, this is a wine to share with those you’re closest to—but one that will disappear faster than you might think.