Lail Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon J. Daniel Cuvée Napa Valley 2021

With a 100-point score from Wine Advocate, and a trio of 98s from Jeb Dunnuck, Decanter, and Wine Enthusiast, there’s not too much we can say about this wine that others haven’t already said. But, we can say that we crafted this special offer just for you, our very favorite First Bottle peeps. We have exactly 30 bottles, so you know what to do...get what you can, while you can. We’ll be here when you get back.

Right, so did you get some? We sure hope so, ‘cause this is likely all we’ll get of this beautiful creature. By now, you probably know snippets of the Lail story. Founder Robin Lail had a great-granduncle who answered to the name Gustave Niebaum. Yes, the Gustave Niebaum, founder of Inglenook. The man created what was arguably Napa’s first great wine house, before decades of drama and bad timing led to the brand’s very public downfall and deterioration into the realm of cheap jug wines (for all the sordid details, read James Conaway’s "Napa: The Story of an American Eden"). Robin Lail’s epic transformation from a young woman dispossessed to a veritable tour-de-force shaping the modern age of Napa Valley is a tale worthy of the big screen and a hero’s journey worthy of Joseph Conrad.

Jeb Dunnuck called this year’s release “one of the finest wines in the vintage” – which in the ultra-fine vintage of 2021 sets a pretty high bar indeed! This 100% cabernet sauvignon marries fruit from four distinct and obsessively treasured Napa Vineyards - Vine Hill Ranch in prestigious Oakville, Heimark in the eastern hillsides of Calistoga, Steltzner under the palisades of Stag’s Leap and the Lail’s own estate of Mole Hill high up on Howell Mountain. Decanter boasts how “the appellations shine through in this full-bodied wine” – which in itself is a testament to the unmatched winemaking prowess of both Philippe Melka and Maayan Koschitzky in crafting this exceptional bottling. The 2021 vintage is already regarded as one of the very best vintages Napa has ever seen, and if you’re looking for the absolute creme de la creme..this might well be a contender.

This is iconic Napa cab, to be sure, with decades of prime drinking ahead of it. There’s only 30 bottles to be had – so don’t waste another second!