Let’s step back and look at whether this passes any rest of reasonableness.
Super-premium, highly sought-after, numerous big scores, but the winery is dumping it at >90% discount?
Even in these times, I don’t see how that is conceivable.
So they lying? Or the juice is just awful and the winery would sell it at any price to get it off the lot? If it’s not drinkable, that would be something.
FWIW, Screagle did sell juice bulk in the past. Can find an old article w/ CH talking about it. Most wineries do it, for a variety of reasons.
In reading the description of all these Wine Access cabernets if they got it the wine in the barrel they mention it specifically:
Stay Home - “Instead, we bought a few barrels at cost to bottle ourselves”
Concept Album - “There is very little of this wine—just two barrels—but in some ways that’s the only reason we were able to get our hands on the 2016 Concept Album Cabernet Sauvignon.”
Here they only mention fruit:
“The winery we sourced this fruit from is one of them—the apogee of classic Oakville terroir.”
My guess is this is a purchase of only grapes and no other involvement from the winery.
Apparently Amanda McCrossin (former Wine Director at PRESS Napa Valley) had the opportunity to get early access to taste the Yesterday CS and she says that it’s the “real deal”.
Given her experience in Napa wines, I trust her palate. I’m in for 4 more bottles.
The list of wines that start at $500 on steakhouse wine lists is a bit longer. With some punctuation wiggle room, perhaps that’s the cover for the claim.
She is now affiliated with Wine Access - 'In July, Wine Access will introduce a podcast hosted by Amanda McCrossin, sommelier and former wine director of Press Napa Valley."
That’s funny but doesn’t make her opinion any less interesting. It’s not like Frank won’t be able to try the wine in just 2 weeks. If it’s terrible, her cred is shot permanently.
How can they have bought just the grapes? You think they barreled this themselves and had it aged in barrel for the last 18 months?
The statement here does not suggest the grapes were not crushed at the winery.
"Yesterday Cabernet Sauvignon captures the specific expression of a season from a legendary Napa estate, imprinted with the personality of the land and winemaker, shaped even by the day when the grapes were crushed. "
That was something I wasn’t aware of, but regardless, I’ve been following her for a number of years and have enjoyed her recommendations before in regards to Napa Cabernet, so I’ll still trust her palate. Of course, when the wine arrives in the Fall, we’ll all have our own opinions and hopefully the wine is good. If not, then I guess I’ll have extra to cook with.
They have done that before with the 2018 Off the Cuff Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley.
The estate that sold us the grapes, just off the Silverado Trail, sits within miles of the famous Meadowood resort in the Cabernet high-rent district of St. Helena. Their wines have won 99- and 97-point scores from Robert Parker, who has called them “full-throttle” and “fabulously rich.” Vinous’s Antonio Galloni described the small winery as “among Napa Valley’s elite.”
When the estate called us up a second time, seeing if we had the means to take half a truckload of grapes off their hands post-haste, we couldn’t wait to get to yes.
Interesting, though this didn’t say that. So you think WA actually crushed, barreled, stored, and then sold Off The Cuff?
What’s funny is I’m ok with YESTERDAY being just the grapes. In some ways, that’s even better. Cause it’s not de-commissioned juice but the raw product they just had too much of.
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