The success of Carl Roy was born in the difficulties of the Great Recession. Wineries across Napa cut deals to liquidate inventory in those uncertain times; it is better to sell at cost and have cash in hand than to have inventory languishing in the cellars.  In the years since, inventories in the cellars of Napa were naturally reduced by the very short vintages of 2010 and 2011. Still, with the historically huge crop of 2012 and 2013 sitting in barrels up and down the valley, cash is still king to just about every winery. When placed on the barrel, it still speaks a lot louder than wholesalers promising to place a purchase order sometime in the near future. Carl Roy seems to have a knack for answering the right opportunity when it knocks on his door. For Corkscrew customers, whenever you see the Carl Roy label, an enormous buying opportunity is knocking.

The 2012 East Side Cuvée is a classic Napa Cabernet, black in color with a dynamic nose of cassis, cedar and chocolate-tinged purple fruit. Its old vine source, rooted in the alluvial soils just outside of St. Helena, is prime Napa Cab real estate. The wine is fabulously concentrated, with a smooth blend of red and black fruit and lavender that leads to a firm finish that speaks to its potential for considerable aging. Pair with anything off the grill for your 4th of July barbecues this weekend and the rest of the summer!