Have you heard the term “cult wines” but didn’t quite understand what it meant?

California “cult wines” are considered to be the most desired and sought after rare wines made with the finest fruit available. They are predominantly all cabernet based, very small production of around 300-600 cases per year and produced by small boutique wineries. Often the wineries that produce cult wines will sell “futures” or have a waiting list in order for the consumer to get their hands on some. They can sell for anywhere between $500 to $2,500 a bottle; making it more of a collectors wine rather than a drinkers wine. I suppose since higher prices have the perception of higher quality then it makes sense that many find these wines very desirable and are willing to pay large amounts of cash for. It’s a lot like driving a half million dollar car, looked at more as a trophy and/or investment and no doubt a status symbol. A fellow wine drinker has expressed to me “I think cult wines are normally amazing wines. However, because of such high expectations, one can sometimes be disappointed. Sometimes, though, when a cult wine lives up to its billing, it is so good to make me feel like I have experiences an amazing event!”

So as you can see, cult wines are considered to be some of the finest wines in the country, but are they really worth the price tag, especially in today’s world? As you have guessed already, these wines are reserved for only a small group of dedicated wine collectors. What I find the most interesting is I have spoke to some winemakers who have explained to me that “on several occasions we have had difficulty selling wines at $75, but as soon as we raise the price to $125 they sell out”. Crazy stuff. Sometimes you will even find a few of these bottles have made their way into some of the Z restaurants so you can only imagine the mark up there!

So why are they called “cult wines”? One definition of the word cult means a small group of followers with a similar interest followed with exaggerated zeal. Since only a small percentage of folks can actually afford these wines while many of us can only dream of taking a sip, hence the name “cult wines”. There are websites dedicated to selling these wines, lists of people getting on cult wines mailing lists, auction houses where fans flock to and a great stop in Napa you must make time for Cult Wine Central Tasting Room right off 29 in Oakville.

So which wines are these you ask? I’ll start with the ones I have had the pleasure of tasting: Ghost Block, Ghost Horse, (Thank you Todd) Fife, Pahlmeyer, Showket, Screaming Eagle, Dunn Howell Mountain, Shafer Hillside Select and Caymus.

And a few I know of that I have not tired: Araujo, Bryant Family, Colgin Cellars, Dalla Valle Maya, Diamond Creek, Dominus Estate, Grace Family, Harlan Estate, Hundred Acre, Kistler, Marcassin Estate, Napa Wine Company, Sine Qua Non, Sloan, Dumol Finn Vineyard, William Selyem Riverblock, Rochioli East and West Blocks, Volker Eisele, Kosta Brown Kanzler, Penfolds Grange from Australia, Galardi Terra di Lavoro from Italy…..plus several more!

If you need a local place to find these wines, go to Taylor’s Wine Shop off Six Forks Rd. If you can’t find it there, ask Taylor to locate it for you and please tell him Amanda with The Traveling Grape sent you!

Next time you are in Vegas pop into The Hostile Grape at the M Resort. They have 160 wines by the glass and even a few of these cult wines! You can get a 5 ounce pour of Screaming Eagle for $90. It’s really a very cool social cozy place. Experienced winos will revel in the selection of boutique wines while novice connoisseurs can sample several wines in small pours using their dispensing system. I love it; it uses pre-paid tasting cards that allow you try one, three or five ounces pours. They also serve cocktails for your non-wine drinking guests.

My advice – stock up on a few now, hold on to them for 10-20 years and you have a flawless investment!

Cheers from The Traveling Grape!