2020 Vista Reserve Red Blend California 750 ml

Veteran winemaker Grant Long, Jr., the man behind $100-per-bottle, mailing-list-only Napa Cabernets for Aonair and Reverie, keeps the sources for his label shrouded in secrecy. NDAs are the mortar that binds his stunning values together—and none top the 2020 Red Blend for power and profundity at its price.

The Cabernet-based blend is built on some of the finest sites in Napa—vineyards that Grant is able to tap thanks to a thriving consulting business that boasts over 14 clients. That vast network gives him discreet access to vineyards whose names could NEVER appear on a label under $75, let alone for what we’re charging.

Living in Napa since he was a child and crafting the kind of Cabernets for which Napa buyers endure long waitlists, Grant certainly understands the allure of the appellation’s premier vineyards. But through his consulting work he also has an intimate knowledge of the best sites outside the Valley—and he knows that the right blend with the right sourcing can attain Napa-star levels of richness.

So once he had the Cabernet and Merlot locked down from star vineyards in his home turf, he went hunting farther afield for the Petit Verdot and Malbec—two grapes that can be exceptionally expensive in Napa proper.

Both dark-hued varieties are late-ripeners that thrive in the warmth of the Sierra Foothills, where rocky soils promote great drainage and sunny afternoon heat thickens grape skins. That allowed Grant to add power and complexity—not to mention a deeper color—at a price that allowed him to keep the Vista Reserve Red Blend a value play.