Cab Club Drop 1 - 2025
100 Point Winemakers
Our first allocation of 2025 is quite possibly our rarest and highest value club pack yet. We’re showcasing the work of four illustrious winemakers with literally hundreds of 100-point awarded wines between them. Whether it’s their own personal passion projects or consultation gigs, these bottles are made with the same care and level of perfection as the projects that have won these winmakers international fame.
Fait Main Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
100% Cabernet Sauvignon
1,300 Cases Produced
Fait Main is the personal winemaking project of Benoit Touquette, the famed 100-point winemaker of Realm Cellars. Born in Lyon, France and trained at the prestigious University of Bordeaux, Benoit came to America to blaze a trail in Napa Valley. After several harvest internships, he took over winemaking at Realm, a new winery project that, while garnering a lot of critical acclaim and attention, was teetering on the brink of bankruptcy in 2009.
Touquette saw promise in the project, turning down a winemaking position at Screaming Eagle to see through his commitment at Realm. His bet paid off, and when the 2012 vintage released with a 100 point rating, skyrocketing Realm to cult status in Napa Valley. He has since received 28 separate 100 point ratings.
While still maintaining his role at Realm, Benoit sought to start a small project of his own that presented a more nuanced, French approach to the vineyards and grapes of some of Napa’s most prestigious sites like Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper, Beckstoffer Las Piedras, and Tierra Roja. Fait Main is a true family operation, with his wife Julianne serving as his co-founder and business partner.
Fait-Main means “handmade” - a name that reflects care, craft, and the singular expression of each vintage.
Caterwaul Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Thomas Rivers Brown is the winemaker for some of Napa and Sonoma’s most iconic labels including Schrader Cellars and others where he has made over sixty 100-point awarded wines. Alongside co-founder Matt Hardin, they source fruit and barrels of wine from some of the most of esteemed growers and their clients throughout the Valley to assemble what is quite possibly the highest quality Cabernet Sauvignon at the price point.
2022 Harvest Report from the Winemaker:
Each vintage in Napa allows us to refine and perfect our vineyard sourcing. We are constantly on the hunt for quality fruit as we continue to grow this project and that openness gives us right to first refusal with many growers who want to make one phone call to find a buyer. Our 2022 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon continues to deliver complexity and depth representative of fruit that is usually destined for single-vineyard bottlings. Inky dark purple in the glass, this wine lends aromatics of ripe cherry, dusky violets, and baking spice. The near-sweetness of roasted meats on the nose causes a mouthwatering reaction. Rich, opulent and full-bodied, the initial impact rewards the sip with a coating of dense marionberry compote, toasted oak and baking chocolate. Fine tannins frame and blend with a balanced acidity to create a lasting finish. This wine is clearly ready to shine out of the gate, and has the horsepower to drink well into the future if a bottle can be tucked away in the cellar.
Keever Vineyards Inspirado Red Blend
Celia Welch grew up in Oregon with parents who were on the early forefront of winemaking and wine exploration in the region. She sought out a winemaking degree as a way to combine her interest in science with her love for a rural lifestyle, all while nurturing a fascination with the flavors and aromas and wines. After many years making wine in the US, Australia, and New Zealand she returned to Napa Valley to start an illustrious consulting career at 100 point cult favorite, Scarecrow. Her work for small, family-owned Keever Vineyards began nearly at their conception in the early 2000s.
2018 Harvest Report from the Winemaker:
Resting at the foothills of the Mayacamas range, the Keever estate spans six acres of rock-laden hillsides southwest of Yountville. Positioned in a coveted section of the Valley, this estate benefits from intricate soils shaped by countless years of erosion, culminating in an optimal environment for nurturing Bordeaux varietals.
Renowned winemaker Celia Welch, known for her expertise gained at Dalla Valle and Scarecrow, oversees the meticulous harvesting process. Instead of relying solely on numerical metrics, she skillfully gauges the fruit’s full physiological ripeness based on taste. This approach yields perfectly balanced wines, showcasing the harmonious culmination of her artistry, the vintage, and the site’s unique terroir.
Aptly named Inspirado, the 2018 vintage is a captivating blend comprising 87% Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot and Petit Verdot, aged in 20% new French oak barrels. This process fosters seamless integration and presents a vibrant and showy wine that’s one of our favorites in every vintage.
Cocodrilo Red Blend Mendoza
Paul Hobbs was born to be a farmer. He grew up as one of eleven children on a family-run orchard in Western New York. While it was there that he developed an appreciation for a sense of place, or terroir, no one could have predicted he would become one of the most legendary winemakers of his generation. With a career that spans over 50 years on four continents, it was Hobbs’ early days at Robert Mondavi’s side making the first vintages of Opus One that launched him to winemaking fame.
2022 Harvest Report from the Winemaker:
The 2022 vintage was positive for red varieties in terms of quality. A cold summer allowed progressive
polyphenolic maturity, achieving high color intensity and concentration, especially in Malbec. White varieties
were affected by the intense rains during February, for this reason the selection of clusters was meticulous to obtain
optimum quality grapes.