2017 The Vice Keith's 007-V2 Single Vineyard Merlot Mount Veeder 750 ml

Just 210 cases of this magnificent mountain Merlot exist, and they are all on their way to Wine Access. No one else can sample today’s stupendous new release from The Vice—which is good, because it’s going to fly off of our shelves.

After 36 months in French oak barrels, this Napa colossus is densely textured, showing high-altitude concentration, and purring like a V-8 engine. From a legendary vineyard on Mt. Veeder that regularly pulls down 95-point scores and $65 prices, the super-rare release is the product of a experiment cooked up by winery founder Malek Amrani and winemaker Vance Rose, an expert Napa hand who’s put up big scores for Donum and Ehlers.

Here's what they did: After securing some of the most coveted Merlot grapes off Mt. Veeder in 2017, Malek and Vance set aside one half to age the normal length of time, 18 months, before bottling. The other nine barrels they stuck in the back of the cellar, putting them out of sight and mind for an additional year and a half. 

We go back with Vance to his days as winemaker for Grieve Vineyards, and our last two offers from The Vice were complete sell-outs, so we got the first call after Vance and Malek tasted from the barrel. We could tell they were ecstatic about the wine, so we wasted no time in meeting them—and after a taste, we were right there with them.

This Merlot is spectacular, a bruiser that shows little in common with its civilized siblings from Bordeaux’s Right Bank: It’s sinewy, big, and plush, yet maintains a touch of the untameable energy of the volcanic slopes from whence it came. Glossy in the glass and showing a deep ruby hue, the wine's aromas bound out of the stemware: waves of dark plum and wild red berries accented by hints of vanilla, cedar, and espresso. The palate is rich, showing off all that dark fruit imbued with graphite, dark chocolate, and spice.

We were hypnotized by the wine’s deft combination of elegance and power. We interrupted Vance and Malek mid-conversation: “We’ll take it all.”

“All” isn’t much, but in Napa, the best things come in small packages. Mt. Veeder is the lowest-yielding appellation in the region. Elevations on this site reach up to 2,400 feet, where the vines absorb a steady mineral diet as their roots sink into volcanic soil and shale from an ancient seabed.

This bottling is validation that mountain Merlot, when treated almost like Brunello, touches the heights of what Napa can produce. Don’t hold back on this one.