2017 Silenus Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Tyros Napa Valley 750 ml

Usually we’re the ones who stumble across hidden gems or discover under-the-radar bottles with killer quality-price-ratios, which we then deliver to you come hell or high water. But occasionally it works the other way around. Such was the case with the supple, boysenberry-laced 2017 Silenus Tyros Cabernet Sauvignon—a throwback to the expertly crafted Napa Cabs of the 1970s, big and powerful yet superbly well-proportioned and above all, a statement of place.

Silenus is one of those wineries that few outside of our circle of insiders seem to know, but we wish EVERYBODY knew, because it brings muscle and energy leagues beyond its price point. So much, in fact, that Wine Enthusiast named the 2017 Tyros an Editors’ Choice, honoring it as a top value—and that was at its $35 SRP. 

Our price rounds out to roughly a dollar for every time one of us said “whoa” as we polished off the bottle. This wine is all at once complex and extremely gratifying. Inky in the glass, it announces its presence with crushed violets, licorice, and graphite aromas, and like a freewheeling storyteller, holds your attention with twists and turns of plum, blackberry, and bay leaf. 

We’d typically have been exchanging those stories (and wines) at our friend Catherine’s eagerly anticipated holiday party. A winemaker herself, it’s always a luxe affair where culty cabernets flow late into the night. This year her party showed up in a package, and we were surprised by the bottle that emerged. We’d hadn’t heard of Tyros before, with its toasting, grape-toting demigod on the label. But we knew that doubting a Catherine recommendation is akin to asking a pilot if she’s sure about the landing gear.

We finally got around to opening it on a Tuesday night while watching a fire flicker in the hearth, and we were completely taken by its elegance and complexity. And the next day, we were on the hunt to secure an allocation for Wine Access members. 

As we did some sleuthing, it became clear why the Tyros was so captivating: it’s a veritable snapshot of Napa Valley, encompassing some of our favorite sites from across the region. 

The winery itself is perched on a site in the Mayacamas Mountains benchlands that long supplied Cabernet to three Napa Valley icons—Silver Oak, Robert Mondavi, and Inglenook. For this wine, they’ve scoured the valley for sites that have that same power and depth, carefully crafting them into a Cab that’s far greater than the sum of its parts. 

These superstar grapes are given a 22-month meet-and-greet in 50% new French oak and 10% new American oak, and they emerge like they’ve known each other forever, in an unbelievably graceful and rich Cabernet. 

When we asked Catherine how she chose this particular bottle to send us, she said “because you’re my friends, and I knew you’d love it.” And that’s exactly what we’re saying to you: We know you’ll love it, and this is one recommendation you won’t want to pass up.