Uncompromising in Its Value
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2018 Darms Lane Fortune 1621 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml
- Curated by unrivaled experts
- Choose your delivery date
- Temperature controlled shipping options
- Get credited back if a wine fails to impress
Value Cabernet With No Shortcuts
Darms Lane’s Fortune 1621 stands out in a crowd of under-$30 Cabernet for what it’s not: a compromise. Few wines at its price can lean on an estate vineyard like theirs; fewer still are made by a veteran, MIT-educated winemaker known for helming Napa icon Lewis Cellars to Wine Spectator Top 10 glory.
Everything about it is textbook Napa. Darms Lane used to sell grapes from their vineyard to Spottswoode, who used it in their acclaimed Lyndenhurst Cabernet—and this dark-fruited beauty is cut from the same classic Napa cloth as that bottling. The 2018 vintage was near-perfect in Napa, as well, taking a wine that consistently overdelivers into the value stratosphere.
We’d pour this for anyone who didn’t understand the fuss about Cabernet from these prized soils—or anyone who already had a cellar full of Napa Cab and was looking for a deal.
Inky ruby-purple in the glass, the nose is brilliantly detailed—with aromas of roasted blackberries, currants, vanilla, and singed thyme. On the palate, it’s lush and velvety—clearly a wine made for drinking now—with plenty of dark fruit, hints of tobacco, grilled bread, and a blast of baking spice. It’s luxurious, balanced, and screams out for a roast prime rib or braised short ribs over polenta.
Darms Lane’s secret weapon is their beautiful vineyard, which is the backbone of this blend. Located south of the Stags Leap District, in the Oak Knoll AVA’s rocky hillsides, it’s usually in service of their $65 estate bottles. In the hands of winemaker Brian Mox, a longtime Napa veteran who made Wine Spectator’s #9 wine of 2013, that’s a guarantee of real magic, especially in a legendary vintage like 2018.
2018 was as close to perfect as possible in Napa Valley, with pristine Cabernet practically falling off the vines. Vinous rated the year 97 points, praising the wines as “simply mind-blowing.” That makes for a fantastic vintage brimming with value. Brian captured every bit of the year’s excellence in this bottle, making it a must-have for any lover of bold California reds.