2019 Stay Home Red Wine Napa Valley 750 ml

“You know The Icon, right?” our winemaker friend asked, using his playful code name for the prestigious Right Bank-style bottling he makes for his employer, a renowned mid-Valley estate in the eastern benchlands. “This is basically the same, about half Cab Franc and half Merlot,” he said, as we swirled. The aromas were gorgeous and fresh, showing black raspberry, ripe strawberry, plentiful vanilla, mocha, dark cherry, and tobacco leaf.

“Here’s the thing,” he went on. “The world is waking up to the fact that Napa Valley Cab Franc is world-class, so my patrons, god bless em, are upping the price of The Icon, and reducing production. Really going hard after the collectors. So, they let me have the juice that, last year, woulda been in that bottling, and really go wild.” 

That checked out with us. The wine is bright, red- and blue-fruited, gorgeously well-knit and seamless, just like its famed sibling. It was drinking beautifully on its own—the perfect wine for a cold, rainy day—and as the first few sips hit the bloodstream effect, we started feeling invigorated, not to mention famished. 

He reached into the bag and produced two whopping dry-aged T-bones, straight from the Whole Foods on Trancas. Ten minutes later we had On the Beach spinning on the turntable, our buddy had salted the T-bones, and our old Lodge skillet was screaming hot on the stove, ready for steaks, butter, rosemary, and garlic. 

Grown in one of the greatest Napa Valley vintages this century, aged for 21 months in 34% new French oak, this is a stunning bottle to have in your collection for when a friend drops by, or when you indulge that stay-home instinct!