Carl Roy Cabernet Sauvignon East Side Cuvee Vertical

Top WineAccess Napa Cabernet Sauvignon Bargain Vertical Collection

In the summer of 2011, while dining at Restaurant Jean-Georges on Columbus Circle, and with the country still mired in the Great Recession, we were treated to a bottle of the 2008 Carl Roy “East Side Cuvée.” Paired with a beef tenderloin in a red wine reduction, that chiseled Cabernets Sauvignon blew us away with both its intense black-fruit concentration and chiseled structure. In the months that followed, Carl Roy took NYC by storm, turning up on top wine lists all over town. We haven’t stopped talking about Carl Roy since.

After four consecutive small harvests (2008-2011) had burned holes in startup balance sheets, boutique wineries needed a hedge if they hoped to pay for all the 2012 fruit for which they’d contracted. We were in the right place at the right time, making for what may well go down as the greatest Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon bargain of this extraordinary vintage.

Carl Roy’s 2012 “East Side Cuvée” is an absolute powerhouse, from what Chuck Wagner at Caymus called a “watershed vintage” in Napa Valley. Drawn from two rocky parcels in blue-chip St. Helena, one a stone’s throw from Heitz and Hall, the other just next door to Luc Morlet’s vineyard on Highway 29. Purple/black to the rim with lavish aromas of blackberry and mountain blueberry preserves, laced with new-wood cedar. Drink now (ONLY if you must!) through 2022.

Next in the lineup is Carl Roy’s “East Side Cuvée” from 2013. Robert Parker called 2013 “one of the most epic and awesome vintages” in the history of Napa Valley, making for Cabernet Sauvignons that “are powerful, rich and concentrated, extremely well-delineated, and will be extremely long-lived, eclipsing even the aging potential of the 2012s.” The “East Side Cuvée” is no exception. Terrifically concentrated, dense, and compact, yet still somewhat back on its heels at this stage in its life, slowly peeling away layers of black- and red-fruit preserves, finishing with sturdy, dusty-tannin backbone. Drink now for its primary-fruit hedonism, or do as we’re doing and lay down this Restaurant Jean-Georges favorite until the mid-2020s.

Last but not least, the 2014 “East Side Cuvée” is still a baby — but might have the stamina to outlast its older siblings. Like 2012 and 2013, 2014 in Napa was characterized by drought conditions. So scarce was water that vineyard cover crops in St. Helena never took root. The hydric stress on the vines resulted in smaller yields but berries were incredibly concentrated, with striking dark purple/jet-black colors. Warm days throughout summer allowed grapes to develop wonderfully complex flavors, while cool nights kept acids in check. By the time the harvest rolled around, growers’ eyes were bulging in their sockets.

Wine Spectator called 2014 a “dream vintage, with quality along the lines of 2012 and 2013.” We couldn’t agree more. It might be too soon to tell, but 2014 appears to be a perfect marriage of its two predecessors — darker and more concentrated than 2012, but more approachable than many tightly knit 2013s.

We’d be lying if we said we didn’t want to keep these bottles for ourselves. (Frankly, we think the 2014 is the best of all three — shh.) Usually $60 a bottle. Today, we’re offering you the chance to try all three at a price that reads like a misprint.

No dawdling… They won’t last long.