The La Londe Vineyard sits in Coombsville, tucked into the Mt. George foothills on Napa Valley's eastern edge—a spot most tourists never find. When Bob Craig discovered this hillside site in 1993, he saw volcanic soils that force vines to struggle, elevations that keep nights cool, and exposures that ripen Cabernet to perfection without making jam.

This isn't Napa's famous valley floor with its deep, fertile soils. La Londe is all fractured volcanic rock and stony earth, the kind of terroir that makes vines dig deep and berries stay small. The high-density, cane-pruned vines yield just 2.8 tons per acre. Those tiny, intensely flavored berries are what create Affinity's signature: power with restraint, concentration without weight.

The 2014 vintage was one for the ages in Napa. After three stellar vintages in a row, Mother Nature delivered a fourth that might have topped them all. The growing season was textbook perfect—no rain, no excessive heat, just steady ripening that let mountain and hillside sites like La Londe achieve what winemakers dream about: full phenolic ripeness with balanced acids and moderate alcohols.

Elton Slone and his team picked between September 9 and October 15, taking their time to get each block at its peak. The blend reads like a Left Bank perfectionist's fantasy: 82% Cabernet Sauvignon for structure, 8% Petit Verdot for spice and color, 5% Merlot for texture, 3% Malbec for florals, and 2% Cabernet Franc for that cedar-box complexity. Eighteen months in French oak (60% new) polished without masking its volcanic terroir. No filtering, no fining—just pure La Londe in a bottle.

WHY YOU'LL LOVE IT

• FABULOUS vintage: 2014 in Napa is already legendary among those in the know, who know it was slightly overshadowed by 2013. The winery called it potentially “one of the finest in the history of winegrowing in the Napa Valley.” At 11 years old, this is drinking in the sweet spot.
  

• Single-Vineyard Character: This isn't a blend from all over Napa. It's 100% La Londe—volcanic soils, mountain exposure, tiny yields. You're tasting one specific piece of earth, farmed by one team, in one spectacular year.
  

• Critical acclaim: Suckling gave it 93, and Parker loved its “Delicious black raspberry and blackcurrant fruit, some spice box, licorice and incense...sexy, lush and ideal for drinking over the next decade or more.”
  

• BONKERS price: The library price here is $122. Similar single-vineyard 2014 Napa Cabs are selling for $200-300. At $55 on four bottles, you’re finding a Rolex priced like a Seiko.

HOW TO SERVE IT

• Decant for 15 minutes—this wine is hitting its stride but still benefits from air. Serve at 58-62°F in Bordeaux stems.
  

• Drink now through 2030. It's in a perfect drinking window today, showing both primary fruit and secondary complexity. But La Londe's volcanic soils and the 2014 vintage structure mean it has years of life ahead.
  

• Perfect with a thick ribeye, braised short ribs, or aged cheeses.