Value Cult Cabernet Doesn't Exis... Wait a Second.
2019 Philip Togni
Napa Valley Estate
Cabernet Sauvignon
Vinous: 96-99 pts.
Wine Spectator: 96 pts.
Robert Parker: 95 pts.
Our Price: $160 on 1. Buy here.
(Best price in CA.)
(Currently available at Elmwood and Vine St.
Online orders can be picked up at any location.)
TL:DR: This is quite simply the greatest value in top-scoring, pedigreed, 'cult' Napa Cabernets that we know. (See our work below!) Get it while we've got it!
Cult Cab. Value. No Venn diagram exists in which these circles overlap. Or... does there?
Last month's Wine Spectator (below) reviewed the top Cabernets from the 2019 vintage ("The Wonder Years"). Six wines shared the highest score (96), among which were cult Cab luminaries like Colgin, Scarecrow, and Schrader. One wine, though, quite stood out from the rest: Philip Togni's Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. 
Why? Well, see for yourself!
- 2019 Scarecrow: $800-900
- 2019 Colgin Tychson Hill: $850
- 2019 Lokoya Spring Mtn District: $448
- 2019 Lokoya Mount Veeder: $437
- 2019 Schrader RBS Beckstoffer To Kalon: $350-450
- 2019 Philip Togni: Only $160! (And only $144 on 6!)
Now, no one's saying $160's chump change! But as relative values go? This is an out-and-out anomaly, an absolutely killer, 96-pt Cab... that can be had for over 80% off the price of some of its peers!
This is a wine that's as classic as it is classy: bright with red and black fruit (cassis, blackberry, raspberry), there are notes of dried herbs (bay leaf, thyme), dusty tannins, and a silky whole that's more about finesse than power.In their 96-point review, Wine Spectator called it "a beautiful version of the throwback style" (i.e., back to when Napa Cabs were balanced, elegant, and age-worthy) and wrote,
"This is very much alive, sporting a wide array of sweet bay leaf, savory and menthol notes, along with zesty raspberry, red currant and blackberry fruit flavors. Built on acidity as much as grippy, tar-laced tannins, this leaves a mouthwatering feel on the long finish."
But Wine Spectator wasn't an outlier, either! Old man Parker gave it a 95, and Vinous Magazine went further still, rating it a 96-99 and writing,
"The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is off the charts. What a wine! The 2019 captures all the Togni signatures. Both with more richness and energy than is the norm. A Cabernet of gravitas and consequence, the 2019 is shaping up to be one of the wines of the year."
And: no one's surprised! There are few winemakers still alive with the pedigree, esteem, and history of Philip Togni.
Long before he founded his eponymous winery, he was responsible for crafting some of the the most iconic wines in Californian history.After a year at Mayacamas (1959), he became the founding winemaker for Chalone, worked at Inglenook for a year, became the founding winemaker for Chappellet (producing the acclaimed 1969 Cabernet Sauvignon that is often regarded as one of the greatest ever made in California), and finally at finished out the 70’s at Cuvaison. (Know those names? Then you know. Don't know those names? Imagine that one guy produced the debut albums of The Beatles, The Stones, The Clash, et al., and you're close.)
What is surprising, though? Is the fact that you can get 6 bottles of Philip Togni from us for less than the price of one bottle of Colgin or Scarecrow! Get it while we have some!
2019 Philip Togni
Napa Valley Estate
Cabernet Sauvignon
Vinous: 96-99 pts.
Wine Spectator: 96 pts.
Robert Parker: 95 pts.
Our Price: $160 on 1. Buy here.
(Best price in CA.)