Passion Projects 750 ml

The Passion Projects set features small-batch values from iconic winemakers that deliver extraordinary complexity, character, and verve for a shockingly low price compared to the $$$ wines they make for big-name brands. Private collectors know them—and so do Michelin-starred restaurants. But until now, that was it. We’re here to make an introduction. To welcome you to the universe of truly profound wines inspired by the passion of Napa’s best winemakers. 

Set Includes: 

2018 Favia Carbone Red Wine Napa Valley

The 2018 Carbone Red Wine, from Andy Erickson and Annie Favia, boasts all the pedigree you’d expect from the winemaker behind Screaming Eagle, Arietta, Ovid, Favia, and Dalle Valle—and drinks like 2X its $75 price. The 2018 Carbone Red Wine is a perfect expression of Andy and Annie’s ethos—and their limitless skills. Like only the greatest Napa Cabernets, it does the impossible by balancing density with grace. Dominated by rich and deep Cabernet Sauvignon, it’s rounded out with beautifully aromatic Cabernet Franc. It’s exactly the kind of red wine that made Napa Valley what it is, made Andy and Annie superstars in the Valley and made us massive fans from the start. 

Tasting Note: Deep purple and opaque. The wine shows a vibrant nose of black currant, blackberry, blueberry, currant leaf, violets, wild bay, toasted oak, and allspice. Dense but focused, with firmly structured tannins balanced by fresh flavors of black cherry and blackberry. The palate is structured and long, evolving into notions of mocha, clove, and graphite that define a long, persistent finish. Drink now - 2037.

2019 Massican Winery Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley

Massican is a phenomenon—the winery’s doing no less than redefining Napa white wine, and the 2019 Sauvignon Blanc is one of the most clean, crisp, and characterful bottlings we’ve seen in California. It’s the latest edition of a wine that spent years as a by-the-glass selection at The French Laundry, and has been on the Michelin three-star restaurant’s list for ten out of twelve vintages. This is a dazzling, Old-World-inspired bottle from the white wine-only Napa winery that produced one of Wine Enthusiast’s top ten Wines of 2019. 

Tasting Note: Pale golden-straw, with just a tinge of green. Bold aromas of fresh lemon, Kaffir lime, chervil, yellow flowers, lemongrass, and just a touch of white pepper race from the glass like a thoroughbred. Vibrant, lively, and energetic on entry, it builds speed with its zippy acidity. Fresh citrus, wild herbs, and crunchy minerals explode on the palate, and linger through a long finish. A brilliant, focused Sauvignon Blanc. Drink now - 2023.

2017 Vermillion Red Wine Blend California

It shouldn’t be this easy to score an under-$40 bottle from a cult winemaker like Helen Keplinger. One of Napa’s most sought-after superstars, she’s graced the cover of Wine Spectator and was named Food & Wine magazine’s “Winemaker of the Year.” 

Nothing beats her spectacular Rhône-inspired Vermillion. The 2017 “leaps joyously from the glass” according to the Wine Advocate, while Jeb Dunnuck calls it "A joy to drink." 

Tasting Note: Deep ruby at its core, with a magenta hue at the rim. A cornucopia of black and blue fruit aromas, with black cherry, blackberry, blueberry, and loganberry character dancing to a chorus of wildflowers, pepper, and subtle baking spice notes. Full of fruit on the palate, the flavors of black raspberry and blackberry charge forth, picking up hints of spice and mocha as they go. The tightly packed but supple tannins follow through the whole palate, leaving a lingering impression of pleasantly warming spice. Drink now - 2027.