Mission Codename Airborne
Annnnd we are clear for takeoff! You’re getting a one way ticket to value town. Where the town is like Dubai and the value is a $99/night penthouse suite.
Archival in the house (more on that below) with 94 POINTS! From the EPIC 2023 vintage. Sourced from a single vineyard on Howell Mountain, from a winery we can’t name, but who regularly scores huge with their $100-200+ Howell Mountain Estate Cabs.
But wait…Archival? More details below, but know this - you’ll need to read quickly on this one because there’s hardly enough to make a day.
This brand-spanking-new project has been taking formation over the last few months and comes from our very own insider, Agent Rhone (birth certificate name reads Mike Meisner) and winemaker Bobby Moy, of Chiron, Brevity, and Black Powder. If you have been around the block long enough you might remember he was also the force behind our very own past “NDA” project, Enigma.
After months of tasting samples, iterating label designs, mountains of paperwork and waiting it’s finally time to unveil the first release - and a small amount has been parceled off exclusively to our faithful Wine Spies loyalists.
So how does this all go down? We need the details, man!
Bobby and Mike met via a “stagier” friend working at French Laundry back in 2010 and have talked about doing something like this for years. Well, the stars aligned and now it’s a reality. The reality actually, is this: it’s a tough market out there for wineries. So what happens when a “cult” or boutique winery (with big shot winemaker, $$$ prices, carefully curated scarcity of production) has a few extra barrels? Maybe they only need 200 cases worth and have 400. Or maybe they just need to pay the bills. They reach out to a trusted compadre in the industry. Someone who can take it off their hand and move it. Quickly. Quietly. Discreetly.
The timing couldn’t be better, given that the 2023 vintage is shaping up to be a winemaker’s dream - one of the best in decades and possibly EVER in Napa. So we tapped into our network, collected samples, and evaluated the best ones. A few standouts immediately rose to the surface, including this.
Four barrels of 100% Cabernet secured straight from one of the pre-eminent family wineries on Howell Mountain. Where the wines routinely score 95-100 points, and fetch upward of $195+ per bottle. This falls right in line with their exceedingly high standards, and will likely sell for $150-165 from the winery.
While it carries a “Napa Valley” designation, fruit comes entirely from one legendary vineyard near the base of Howell Mountain. A place you could say “holds no punches” when it comes to churning out some grade AAA Napa Cab. It’s a pre-prohibition era hillside site, planted in the 1880s, where the eastern slopes offer a little respite from the warm days and create a perfect pocket to nestle Cabernet into a heavyweight knockout. Hint hint.
Raised in 40% new, medium-toast French oak (Darnajou, Taransaud), it has HUGE structure, grippy mountain tannins, and a seriously deep and dark core of red and black fruit with a kick of barrel spice. A touch of violets, blackberry and black cherry preserves, cassis, and dusty old leather seamless meld together into one blockbuster wine with crazy head-spinning complexity. And to think, it’s just a baby!
A few lucky Ops have even tasted it already, and can provide a testament to the build quality here. You could, in theory, drink this now. And I’d encourage you to open one immediately to set a benchmark of expectations. But patience will reward those who can wait and it should improve to new heights over the coming years.
With just over 50 cases parceled out, this flash in the pan deal will not last.
94 points - Decanter “A very pretty wine, fruit-driven on entry, revealing juicy black cherry and blood orange lifted by star anise and ultra-fine tannins that coat the palate and lay down a spectacular foundation of structure. Crunchy red fruit nuances weave through gentle notes of cinnamon, cardamom and sweet paprika, while a fresh seam of acidity lends vibrancy and lift. Sourced entirely from one of Napa Valley’s oldest pre-Prohibition vineyard sites.”
What the Winery Says
2023 'Liftoff' Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
.jpg)
.jpg)
- Winemaker
- Bobby Moy
- Varietal
- 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
- Vintage
- 2023
- Alcohol
- 14.5%
- Appellation
- Napa Valley
- Aging
- 12-18 months
- Barrels
- 40% new French oak
About the Winery
Archival
.jpg)
.jpg)

.jpg)

.jpg)