2019 Pursuit Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Somewhere in Napa right now, someone is paying $300 for a bottle made by the exact same hands that made this one. They don't know about Pursuit. You do. Let's keep it that way.

This is the wine the insiders don't post about. Philippe Melka — the man Robert Parker named one of the planet's top wine consultants, the guy who trained at Château Pétrus and Haut-Brion before becoming the most chased signature in Napa — runs the show here alongside Maayan Koschitzky and Matt Sands (yes, the Screaming Eagle / Bryant Family Sands). Same crew. Same little black book of vineyard relationships. Same obsessive, barrel-by-barrel instinct that goes into bottles wearing $200 and $250 price tags a few shelves over.

The difference between those and this one? A name on the label and about two hundred dollars.

The project belongs to Alejandro Bulgheroni, the same owner behind Otronia in Patagonia and the broader New Frontier Wine Company portfolio. The sourcing model is straightforward: Melka's team leverages fifteen-plus years of relationships in Napa Valley to access premier fruit at terms unavailable to most brands. The result gets blended, guided, and shaped by the same team that moves markets when they release $200 bottles.

2019 was a fabulous year for Napa Valley. Wine Spectator awarded this year a 97-point score, and Vinous Media gave it 96 points, saying that "The 2019 Napa Valley Cabernets have turned out beautifully. 2019 is a very high-quality vintage of Cabernets that will be easy to drink and enjoy with minimal cellaring. The extra kick of late heat softened the tannins, making the wines a pleasure to taste and drink." 

Pour one tonight. Hide a few for 2028. Tell no one.