Arcudi Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2022

Time for a special-occasion Cab! Bring this bottle out to dinner, wow your friends, pay the corkage fee, and still come in waaaay under what you'd normally have to spend for a wine like this. Acclaimed winemaker Tony Arcudi knows exactly how to handle one of Napa’s most-loved vineyards.

Invino is in the middle of three straight days of Cabernet because – even as we kneel barefoot picking warm tomatoes – we can feel the undercurrent of fall, and we love it. Today's bottle is about bringing you something ultra premium and super cool: Arcudi’s Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from the opulent 2022 vintage! It’s primed for a nice dinner after the football game, or before the ballet, or when your best friends come over for slow-cooked short ribs. Winemaker Tony Arcudi has three 100-point scores to his name, which he earned in the cellar at Kapcsándy Wines, where he still consults. This gem is from his own label, Arcudi, and it’s every inch a $150 bottle. But with us, score it for just $64.95 when you order three!

The fruit comes from Napa’s famed Stagecoach Vineyard, whose steep, thoroughly volcanic soils can produce elegant dark fruit and wonderful savory notes – all true for this 2022. Tony aged the wine in 50% new French oak for 20 months. Jeb Dunnuck tasted it while it was still in barrel and bestowed 92-94 points, so you can imagine it’s even more dialed-in today. The wine is inky and lavish with black cherries and blackberry pie. Blueberries come in, along with piquant herbal notes like sage and bay laurel, and there’s also a lovely cola tone along with the just-right sense of oak. The silkiness carries through for a grand finish that shows off orange peel, violets, and some cedar. It’s exquisite, and everything you want in a serious, plush Napa Cab. A gorgeous experience for under $65.

Tony was born in Boston, and he was always engaged with food and wine in his 20s (and looks like he could be Stanley Tucci’s younger brother). But he didn’t start his career anywhere near a vineyard or cellar. He was a missile navigation engineer on Navy submarines, then pivoted to project management in the tech world. At 38, he changed course again after tasting a profound red at a friend’s dinner party. He was so moved and fascinated by it that he hardly slept that night. He almost immediately enrolled in the enology program at UC Davis, and was fortunate to cut his teeth working under some of the wine world’s best and brightest – including Heidi Barret – and also trained in France at Rhône-based Maison M. Chapoutier. He has the connections to access premier vineyard sites like this one, and the talent to bring the fruit to its full potential. “Clearly outstanding” as Dunnuck said. This tastes very luxe – but at $64.95, we’ve priced it to open without stressing. Be sure to snag at least three for your full savings.