I’m in on a mystery case given the good price and chance for a few older lots. I thought the old stuff was pretty much cleared out during the moving sale, but we’ll see.
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I bit on the Mystery Case too. I had $15 in rewards, so this seemed like a good way to say goodbye to DN.
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thinking about the mystery case as well - haven’t ordered DN since Dec 2024, fully on the Cam X train. Even with 30% off the bottle shop doesn’t seem that enticing. But I saw I had $25 in rewards and the mystery case seems interesting with that applied…
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Mystery Case is sold out.
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yeah I pulled the trigger, my first ever mystery case from any retailer. I’m prepared to be disappointed but figure DN has very very few clunkers and for $9 a bottle shipped, what could go wrong?
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They could all be 550. 
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If it were all reds I might have gone for it.
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I hope you buyers post what you got. For me there is a bit of a trust issue so I didn’t pull the trigger. For that price I don’t know what they could possibly send out that would be bad.
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Same wine as lot 569.
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“a household name that even people who don’t drink are familiar with”
“a fair shot over $200/bottle”
Caymus Special Selection?
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I believe that was the prior guess for Lot 569, but 1) their own website lists the SS at $180/bottle and 2) I can’t imagine any Caymus CS being in the 14.0 - 14.1 ABV range. That said, I struggle to think of a better match to the write-up language…
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“ They were quite happy that we paid for our initial batch so quickly (you’d be surprised how often invoices in this industry go delinquent for months), and immediately agreed to another deal honoring the same pricing! Once labs confirmed the wine was identical, we knew we had a Black Friday Cab offer on our hands.”
What labs are done to confirm that a a wine is identical? @larry_schaffer is there some article that can teach us about this? (I’m assuming a major component of the test is if you drink your coffee black:)
Grok says Opus One
Has to be Mondavi “To Kalon” Reserve over Caymus Special Selection right?
• Long, consistent flagship program (50+ years) — Robert Mondavi founded his winery in 1966 and the Mondavi Reserve / To Kalon bottlings have been a long-running, flagship expression tied to the To Kalon vineyard for decades. That matches your “consistent for over half a century” line.
• “Farming is how they started” / estate vineyard focus — Mondavi’s program and the To Kalon Reserve explicitly emphasize vineyard sourcing (To Kalon is one of Napa’s legendary estate sites) and traditional viticulture — the Reserve is made from To Kalon lots and described as an Oakville/estate benchmark.
• Estate-grown from prime valley bench + mountain sites / extended oak aging — Mondavi’s Reserve/To Kalon webpages state the wine is from To Kalon (prime bench/valley floor) and note extended oak aging (examples: 21 months in French oak + bottle aging for some releases).
• Price point — Recent To Kalon / Reserve releases are sold in the $200–$400 range (and older vintages trade at substantially higher specialist/collector prices).
• Tasting profile / structure — The To Kalon / Mondavi Reserve tasting notes commonly emphasize dark cherries, cassis/currant, blackberry, savory/mineral/earth elements (graphite, leather), firm structure and refined tannins — very close to the nose/palate you wrote (black cherries & currants, blackberries, wet gravel, new soft leather, minerality, grippy tannins and spice).
Why it’s less likely to be Caymus Special Selection:
• Caymus Special Selection is indeed a Napa flagship and often sits in the $200 range, but its typical profile is the plush, chocolate/vanilla/mocha, blackberry/cassis-heavy style with higher ABV in most vintages (commonly ~15%+), and the tasting notes emphasize mocha/vanilla/cocoa more than minerality or “wet gravel / refined, grippy tannins.” That makes Caymus a less precise fit for the minerally, leather/graphite, refined tannin profile you described.
14.1% ABV:
• Mondavi Reserve/To Kalon ABV varies by vintage. Some Mondavi Reserve vintages have been listed at ~14.1%, while many modern vintages can be 14.5%–15% depending on year and blend. Caymus Special Selection vintages are typically higher (≈15%+). So the 14.1% ABV is compatible with some Mondavi Reserve vintages.
Regardless, I would be happy with either! Or Opus as said above but given the price point of Opus, I doubt it is north of $200 price range considering it goes for about double?
Nevermind - there are no mountain grapes in Ta Kalon so I don’t think it can be this. The search continues. This game is fun.
If Opus One would qualify, how about Continuum, which does have mountain fruit.
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Last attempt:
Joseph Phelps Insignia?
- Household name / legendary producer → check
- Flagship program >50 years → check
- Estate-grown from valley + hillside → check
- Extended French oak aging → check
- Price >$200 → check
- ABV ~14.1% (depending on vintage) → check
- Tasting notes of currant, black cherry, blackberries, leather, mineral, tannins → check
Off topic:
Anyone here like old Cognac?
I forgot that I had this 1818!
I’m not a fan, anymore:
Poorly stored.
Any bright Ideas?
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Scott,
Use it to start your barbecue grill?
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Thanks Tim! Good thought.
Perhaps gargle with it, to save on Mouthwash?
It’s unopened but only half full. Poor storage over the past 207 years.
Is it Past bottle shock yet? 
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