2018 Bevan Cellars Ontogeny Napa Valley 750 ml

It’s rare that we’re able to offer a Napa Cabernet whose score is higher than its price. But that changes today, with big news for lovers of Napa’s bold, full-throttle reds: We have an icon in the category, the 2018 Bevan Cellars Ontogeny, from the best vintage yet. A 99-point stunner and the #1 wine of Jeb Dunnuck’s Top 100 Under $100 listing, it’s filled with a level of detailed black-fruit opulence the winemaker himself says he hasn’t seen in five years—and it comes at the best price we’ve ever offered.

"The only problem with Russell Bevan’s 2018s is going to be choosing which wines to focus on, unless readers have the means to buy them all,” raved Vinous' Antonio Galloni. “The 2018s are a sort of perfect storm.” Value-minded buyers like us will reach right for the Ontogeny, a brilliantly curated 99-point vision of Oakville and Howell Mountain terroir at a fraction of the price of Bevan’s celebrated single-vineyard releases, which run up to $249. And the wines that match Ontogeny for critical raves command up to $425 retail, and leap to four-digits at lauded restaurants from coast to coast.

Earlier versions of Russell Bevan’s glossy dark-purple powerhouse elicited high praise from the members who ransacked our inventory, putting up reviews that average 4.5 out of five stars. “Divine! I adored this wine, with a fine finish, and the price from Wine Access cannot be beat—especially with the free shipping,” wrote one fan. Another jotted off a note saying: “Stunning wine, one of my favorites ever!”

A spellbinding, voluminously plush blending from elite Napa sites, this bottling puts you inside a truly rarefied world of California viniculture—winemaker Russell Bevan boasts seven 100-point scores from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, which recently published a report focused solely on Bevan, and called his wines a “rigorous, utterly fascinating workout” for their critic’s palate.

Tasting this wine is anything but work: The 2018 is silken on the palate, and moves with a combination of grace and energy that’s rare in the world’s finest wines. No doubt, that’s what earned the 2018 Ontogeny a 99-point assessment from Jeb Dunnuck, who called it “A classic… with beautiful tannins and length,” after noting it as one of his personal favorites. Since wines with the exact same score cost up to $425, this customer-favorite is the obvious choice of smart buyers.

Bevan is a fourth-generation California, a brilliant winemaker whose visceral passion has powered his rise to the top of Napa’s luxury ranks. It doesn’t hurt that he was mentored by legends of the craft like Merlot wizards Jim and Barbara Richards of Paloma and Philip Togni of Togni Vineyards.

“With his serious insider knowledge, which gives him access to some great sources that other producers somehow have missed, he seems to magically transform his wines into personality-filled, savory, intensely flavored efforts, many of them truly world-class in quality,” raved Robert Parker.

The bottling we’re offering today (for what will likely be a short window) showcases why Bevan is considered a genius at texture in the Valley, with a tuning-fork sensitivity for harmonizing grapes. The 2018 Ontogeny captures the Oakville red-clay power of Tench, the tension of the rocky slopes of Sugarloaf, Wildfoote’s class and intensity (from Stags Leap), and the wildness and high-altitude verve of Howell Mountain’s Sentinel Ridge. The tannins are supple yet firm, beautifully integrated into a big, lush, highly approachable wine.

Bevan told us you have to go all the way back to 2013 to find an Ontogeny blend this massively concentrated, complementing all that rich, chocolate-y, juicy fruit with loads of polish and spice from 100% new French oak aging.

It’s enough to leave you breathless. But business first—make sure you come away with a bottle or two before we’re sold out.