@GianniM, I highly recommend you join the MacDonald list immediately. However an allocation is very rare, as there have been folks on the list for 5-10+ years and still have not had the opportunity to buy directly. To Todd’s point, most folks are buying the wines on the secondary market for 4-5x the price, as that’s what the market commands for the wine. Hopefully you find a solid wine group and someone graciously opens a bottle - for many (including myself) it is a holy grail wine.
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I’m actually not too familiar with the prices differences. In Quebec (Canada), the liquor stores are government owned (SAQ is the store). Prices are standard if i’m not mistaken although selection is limited. I highly doubt wines like MacDonald will ever make it to the stores.
That said, they’re good with releases. 2021 sassicaia and masseto just came up this morning.
Sure, get on the MacDonald list, but be realistic. Your chances of getting an allocation are worse than “very rare”. There are reports in the MacDonald thread that there are more than 11,000 names on the list, and the longest have been waiting more than 10 years.
Of course, something dramatic could happen and your chances could improve … If the price was raised 4-5x to match the secondary market, I suspect some (likely including me, as I’m generally not in the market for $1000+ bottles) would skip their allocations and the waitlist would shrink dramatically.
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If a winery purchases grapes, the sellers have “baked in” their costs, so the final bottle price includes that overhead regardless.
You could do that, sure. You could also grow grapes and do the same. The quality in the bottle is what matters. If the juice isn’t worth the money, that will become apparent very quickly, and the producer won’t get away with it for long.
Your romantic fascination with estate-produced wine is understandable (we all love the lore and backstories of wine, which is part of why we’re here), but there is a ton of great wines that aren’t estate-produced as well (some mentioned above). Would be a shame not to give them a try.
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I was trying to be somewhat positive 
. The chances are technically never zero.
Gianni,
Welcome, nice first post!
For small family wineries with a story you can embrace and who are making great old-school wines, I’d recommend Seavey and Hayfork. It doesn’t hurt that they aren’t at the high end of your $$ range and don’t mistake that for lack of excellence.
Seavey is run by the children of its founders, William (Bill) and Mary, who bought the property in the 1980s after befriending the owners who hosted city kids for summer camp. The Seavey kids camped there and later helped plant the vines (and do all the other labor needed to establish and operate the winery). They were an early client of Philippe Melka, who still consults. Their winemaker for the last dozen or so vintages is Jim Duane is making age-worthy gems that express the site and vintage. They offer a Chardonnay, Merlot, and 3 levels of Cabernet Sauvignon in most vintages. The reds, including all tiers of CS, are world class and age worthy.
Hayfork comes from Lewelling vineyards which the family has been farming since 1864. (!) The 6th generation (if I’m counting right) Hayfork Winery (named for very personal reasons, which I’ll leave you to discover) continues farming but is only the second generation making wine. The generation before has the Lewelling Wine brand. Hayfork produces two reds: an excellent CS and an outstanding Bordeaux blend called Field Select that IMO is one of Napa’s best values for those seeking top-tier/“old-school” styled wines. They also have Rose, Grenache Blanc, and Marsanne.
Good luck with this search. Keep seeking advice and experience, and enjoy the journey!
Franklin
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When I think of Dunn, I think of fiercely tannic wines in their youth that require decades for the tannins to mellow. But once they do, your patience is rewarded with a lithe and complex expression of Cabernet not unlike that of its Bordeaux brethren.
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Not Napa, but clear your calendar sometime and start learning about Renaissance.
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The 1 WOW factor is the wine ships in a wooden box
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I’d try a couple wines…1997 or prior Heitz Martha’s vineyard and the telltale “mintiness” from the eucalyptus trees bordering the vineyard that have since been removed, and Rubicon Estate and the history of the JJ Cohn vineyard and the old Inglenook Estate where Rubicon now lies.
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But, if you’re asking for recs on the best wines here, it’s going to be consistently good ones, not the sort of luck you might get with a single vintage of an otherwise merely respectable wine. So, it’s a given the relationship is good between the winemaker (and team) and vineyard manager (and team), whether they work together from sort of the same location or not.
An extreme example is Andy Beckstoffer. He brands his vineyards as the best and exerts meticulous control over who gets his fruit and if they get to put his names on their bottles. As a customer, you pretty much know what you’re going to get, regardless of producer. Quality and style will be about the same, but seen through different lenses.
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If budget is no issue and your goal is to narrow your focus, I would start with a winery that makes a variety of wines from different parts of the Valley and do a comparative tasting of all their wines from at least one vintage. Lokoya is one good example but there are others. All are 100% cabernet sauvignon, same winemaker and winemaking treatment but you’ll see they have noticeable differences. Which do you prefer and why? That gives you a target to grow out from. Like Mount Veeder best? Then try cabs from other wineries from Mt. Veeder, etc. - where does the influence of location stop and winemaking start? How does a merlot grown on Mt. Veeder compare to your cabernet? Comparing the same wines from different vintages teaches about vintage characteristics. That is the sort of baseline that really helps grow knowledge.
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Since you are looking for fun facts and estate wine I’d try some Beringer. Founded in 1876 Beringer is the oldest continuously operating winery in Napa and uses estate fruit. Beringer Private Reserve and their single vineyard designate Cabernets are solid wines. My favorite SVDs are St Helena Home Vineyard and Chabot. Sign up for their email list and you can often get these wines offered for just about half price.
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Since you are interested in stories, I highly recommend listening to the I’ll Drink To That podcast. You’ll hear tons of amazing stories and facts about specific producers and vineyards, oftentimes from the legends themselves. Listening to episodes always makes me interested in trying the wines they discuss. You’ll also learn a ton about wine and winemaking. Start with the Napa episodes and then you can branch out from there as your interests develop.
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Does Cardinale grow their own grapes? I know they blend from various vineyards.
Thanks I will take that name down to do some research
I believe they do. I visited the estate last year. I posted a trip review.
Welcome, @GianniM !
You have a lot of good information here and have received a lot of excellent recommendations. @Howard_Cooper mentioned Forman Winery. Their wines fly under the radar for many, but I think their Cabs and Chardonnays are fantastic. And, Ric has said that due to the steep and rocky terrain of his vineyard, he had to use several sticks of dynamite to help facilitate the planting of the vineyard back in the late 70’s. Maybe not a “WOW” factor but a good story for some wines that are very good and age-worthy.
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It’s been mentioned a few times already, but the combination of history, story, estate fruit, price, quality and availability, the only answer really is Ridge Monte Bello. Hard to think of another wine that can tick all those boxes.
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^^ Napa ??
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