Today’s Deal ~ 2014 SHINER “17.2” Cabernet Sauvignon (Califorina)

$27.95/bottle or $19.95/btl on 6+

Cabernet Sauvignon. Christmas. Need we say more?

“Shiner” (def. finished bottle of wine with no label or any identifying features) was a program Carpe Vino started in 2013. The idea was to use our experience and wealth of relationships to find wines from trusted sources we could sell under our “Shiner” label. The 2014 Shiner “17.2” Cabernet Sauvignon (California) marks our SIXTH release and with only 100 cases available, it truly is one of our best “wines-for-the-money” yet!
WHY?!? Simple – sourced fruit and winemaker. Now rule-of-thumb when it comes to a shiner, is never divulge any of that information. Part of the allure when it comes to shiners, is that you are receiving a bottle of wine that generally comes from a winery charging a significantly higher price for the same EXACT wine. Being that we are in the holiday spirit, we can’t tell you the winemaker, but CAN TELL YOU that the fruit all comes from the SAFARI VINEYARD in El Dorado County.
If you have purchased wine with Carpe Vino since our infancy, you might remember us selling Safari Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. It was an epic find because the fruit was local, the packaging was insane (etched bottle of an elephant and tusks) and it was just a really damn good cab! We don’t have our original email but did find some evidence in our POS system. It was the NINTH product added to our database, was the 2000 vintage and retailed for $28/bottle. Fast forward to 2017, the winery no longer exists, and the grapes are sold to wineries, most notably Rubicon Estate, by Francis Ford Coppola.

While researching for information we found this story from James Laube of “Wine Spectator” from 2007. Click Here To View Article.

Of course, not all the fruit goes to Rubicon Estate and we were lucky enough to score some for our 100 cases made by a legendary winemaker. Again, I can’t reveal a name, but their last 21 of 22 submissions to “Wine Spectator” (back to 2010) have garnered 90+ points with 14 bottles scoring 93-96 points. What I am trying to say…they’re legit!