2018 Miner The Oracle Red Wine Napa Valley 750 ml

It never fails. For Napa Valley wine lovers who adore icons like Phelps and Continuum but don’t necessarily want to spend those sums, Miner’s Oracle is our go-to. Made from prime hillside sites primarily on the east side of the Napa Valley, The Oracle always delivers richness and breed in spades, for less than half the price of its peers.

The key to this Oakville stalwart’s flagship red is threefold. It’s had the same winemaker, Phelps alum Gary Brookman, since the inaugural 2001 release. It comes from incredible sources, including the famed Stagecoach Vineyard as well as top sites in Rutherford, Oakville, and Chiles Valley. And finally, it’s had a painstaking upbringing, aging for almost two years in barrel and then another two years in bottle before hitting the market, which ensures the wine will be open and generous the day it reaches your glass.

Winemaker Gary Brookman earned his stripes at Joseph Phelps Vineyards in the early 1980s. At Phelps he got to know the Valley’s vineyards intimately, and in the cellar his skills grew with each passing harvest. He's been guiding Miner from day one in 1997, and the care he and his team take with this flagship wine will be obvious the moment you take a sip.

The 2018 Oracle is 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Cabernet Franc, 13% Merlot, plus a little bit of Petit Verdot and Malbec. We love how seamlessly the Cabernet and Cab Franc are woven together in this wine, giving it a beautiful cherry perfume in the mouth. The 2018 vintage was pitch-perfect here in the Valley—arguably the best vintage of the decade for its combination of power and grace—and we can’t recommend this supple bottle more highly.