2017 BEVAN ONTOGENY PROPRIETARY RED, NAPA VALLEY

Raking in perfect 100 point scores at a record pace, Russell Bevan clearly has the Midas touch for winemaking… One of my favorite wines that Russell makes is his Ontogeny Blend which in 2017 was created using fruit from his equally high-scoring single-vineyards Tench, Sugarloaf, Wildfoote and Sentinel.  Ontogeny isn’t just an introduction to the cardinal quality of Bevans wines, but as the least expensive of his big reds, the wine doesn’t compromise at all in terms of quality.  Rising wine critic Jeb Dunnuck, formerly with Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate alerted his readers that the 2017 Ontogeny “doesn’t give an inch with regard to quality. In fact, it might be my favorite barrel sample in the lineup.” With a near perfect 96-99 Point score and at under $100, I recommend grabbing as much as you can…

Ontogeny combines four of the top five Bordeaux varietals, and with each one playing a key role in the wine’s performance.  It’s a display that as Jeb Dunnuck says is “straight-up heavenly” and “guaranteed to put a smile on your face.”  The wine is kept in a variety of high-end oak barrels and the 2017 is showing so much potential right now that it has to be experienced to fathom how good is.