Strala Vineyards Proprietary Red Napa Valley 2019

A under-$40 Napa-cab blend whose quality will shoot you back in time to The Prisoner’s prime, this Strala Vineyards Proprietary Red is a tantalizingly elegant (and mysterious) mixture of varietals, including cabernet sauvignon, malbec, merlot, zinfandel, and petite sirah, all from Napa Valley’s most revered vineyard plots. The enigma lies in which ones – but Strala has kept that mostly under tight lock-and-key, leaving the grapes’ origins to our imaginations. And imagine we do – each and every time we taste this magnetic, magnificent wine, each sip making it clear that this has been a carefully harvested, crafted, and bottled work of love. 

Strala is a Swedish word that translates to English as “to radiate; to emit rays; to shine very brightly,” and shine it does! Behind the brand are Jason and Laura Ray – a duo committed to using high-quality fruit to produce stunning wines. Laura, a healthcare professional turned blind-tasting champ, works for one of the top barrel producers in the industry. Her partner, Jason, is a vineyard manager for a number of creme-de-la-creme Napa plots (which he, of course, sourced from for this blend). He’d previously hung his hat at a number of renowned Jackson Family vineyards – including the likes of Verite, Lakoya, and La Jota – before starting up his own Napa Select Vineyard Management Group. He oversees 900 acres of some of the most well-known vineyards in the area and lovingly cares for fruit that make up many of the wines you know of with serious cult followings.

Between the two of them, he asks for a smidge of fruit from his employers for his efforts, while she gets access to premiere barrels for aging – and voila! – an epic, yet way-under-the-radar, Napa treasure is here to stay.

In their Proprietary Red blend, you’ll get smooth, round, and toasty barrel notes of many a warm baking spice, shaved dark chocolate, cedar bark, and vanilla bean, followed up with a jammy, juicy blend of blackberry, raspberry, blueberry, and plum notes. Velvety, mouth-coating, deliciously toasty, and luscious qualities, coupled with unreal depth, make this a wine that will be a winner for many years to come! Get some for now and later (and for friends and family, too)! That is, while these last!