2019 Halpin Cabernet Sauvignon Barrel Select Napa Valley 750 ml

We flipped on the conference room light. Seated at the table, clad in a stylish but second-hand Brooks Brothers tweed blazer, Halpin looked like he was waiting to audition for the role of Young Professor in a student movie. He had on a light blue oxford shirt bound at the collar with…wait, was Halpin wearing a necktie? 

“I forgot what time you guys met and I didn’t want to blow the surprise, so I got here at 9:30,” he said.

“You’ve been sitting in the dark for three—”

Halpin cut us off. “Look, I didn’t come to split hairs about who sat where for how long. And I definitely didn’t come to spin some yarn or blow smoke. Today, in case you hadn’t noticed, I’m going with a more dignified approach.”  

Suddenly, the Ivy League getup made more sense. For the first time, we noticed the bottle and glasses in front of Halpin. One glass, no surprise, was well stained. 

“I’ll just let you get settled and, when you feel so moved, you can taste this,” he said, nodding to the shiner in front of him. “Sans preamble, sans comment, and sans hype, I respectfully submit it to be judged alongside today’s wines. I think you’ll find that it speaks for itself.”

A few minutes later, when the rest of the team flowed in with more bottles, we threw Halpin’s in the mix. Since only two of us had seen the spectral Halpin in the office, we hid the wine’s provenance as we poured. Then we tasted.

Silence, then consensus: Halpin’s Napa Cab—a barrel-selection he wrested away from a renowned winery with a 100-point winemaker—was a huge hit.