2018 TP RESERVE NAPA VALLEY PROPRIETARY RED

Wine doesn’t always have to be serious to be great. Grant Long, Jr, whom you might recognize as the winemaker at Aonair, Reverie, Witchery, James Joseph, and Steps, produced the inaugural release of this wine, and it is fantastic for the price.  Grant’s wines have a cult following for their incredibly compelling, alluring style. At under $30, you don’t have to be flush with cash to get a case, and this wine drinks like it should be double the price.

When your day job is the winemaker for several luxury brands, including your own, you have access to some ridiculously great fruit sources. This Reserve Blend combines fruit from properties that Grant works within Coombsville, Atlas Peak, Calistoga, and Oak Knoll.

Checking in at nearly 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, and enhanced with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec, the 2018 vintage has a solid and concentrated build, firm tannins, and incredibly intriguing red and blue fruits, graphite, white flowers, and cocoa dusted chocolates.