Cult Winemaker’s Personal Value Cab

Benot Touquette is one of Napas modern masters.

The 100-point winemaker was trained by Andy Erickson at Ovid and Screaming Eagle, and by Michel Rolland. Now he crafts some of the most coveted $200$400+ wines in the Valley for consulting clients and for his own Fait-Main project.

That pedigree has made Touquettes value-oriented Teeter-Totter Napa Cabernet a Wine Access sensationit offers the chance to drink Benots work for just under $100. Thats rare enough that it sets off alarm bells for Napa lovers coast to coast.

Today, were proud to debut an even MORE outstanding value from in the Teeter-Totter lineup: A California Cabernet that packs all of Benots acumen (and Rolodex connections) into a $30 bottle.

This is the full Touquette-luxe experience: top Northern California sites, Napa and Sonoma included, vinified with the techniques he learned alongside Michel Rolland and Andy Erickson. The wine is then treated to 70% new oak in elevagewhich is absolutely unheard of at this price.

This is an Eames chair at IKEA pricing, so stock up accordingly.

When Touquette left his home in Bordeaux for Californias Cabernet epicenter, he aimed for the top. So he positioned himself deftly alongside Andy Erickson at Ovid and Screaming Eagle, and chose a stellar mentor in Michel Rolland, the world-famous consulting winemaker whose name is on 100-pointers by Harlan, Bond, and Araujo. Touquette and Rolland remain close to this day, and the latters influence shows in the high scores Touquettes wines collectand in this edition of Teeter-Totter.

Teeter Totters Cabernets have garnered the kind of critical praise thats all but unheard of at this price. In describing the Jeb Dunnuck said Teeter-Totter can easily compete with wine that costs 34 times its going rate. Antonio Galloni of Vinous has called Teeter-Totter just about as good as it gets for value in Napa.

2021 was a drought year in Napa, and the lack of water produced some of the smallest, most concentrated berries that winemakers had ever seenand this definitely comes across in the glass. Deeply colored, nearly black-purple, the wine is marked by powerful aromas of black cherries, roasted blueberries, vanilla, and allspice. The palate is layered and rich, with firm yet integrated tannins and flavors of seductively ripe plums, espresso, blackcurrants, sage, and a hint of milk chocolate.

We called Touquettes flagship Teeter-Totter bottling unquestionably one of the greatest and most pedigreed Cabernet deals goingwhich raises the question: How exactly are we supposed to top that verbiage for a wine that comes in for half that price? While we ruminate on how exactly to describe the deal, you should stock up. This is going to sell out in a flash.

Deep purple core with a ruby rim. Aromas of black cherry, blueberry pie filling, espresso, cocoa, pencil shavings, lavender, and tobacco. Youthful and lively now, the wine shows lots of complexity that will surely develop over the next few years. The palate is filled with perfectly ripe plum, blackberry, current, sage, and mint, all framed by luxurious toasty oak and vanilla notes. Fine-textured tannins and a ripe, juicy finish. Drink now2035.

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