Monocle Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2024

For nearly two decades, Monocle has occupied a category all its own at ACME. No mailing list wine inspires more frantic emails, cellar shuffling, or whispered “do you think it's coming back?" conversations than this one. And after a two-vintage disappearance, the legend has only grown.

Monocle's origin story is all about relationships: a local couple was offered access to extraordinary Napa Valley fruit through longstanding relationships, then enlisted a highly regarded winemaker whose day job prevented any public association with the project. The agreement was simple — complete anonymity. No websites. No press. No fanfare. Just great Cabernet shared among those lucky enough to know where to find it.

Fast forward to today, and Monocle has become one of the most fiercely followed wines in ACME history. Perhaps it's the secrecy. Perhaps it's the microscopic production. Or perhaps it's because, year after year, this wine drinks like something that should cost four times the price. Whatever the reason, Monocle has built a cult-like following unlike anything else we offer, and every release disappears at lightning speed.

After a two-year hiatus, we are thrilled to finally welcome Monocle back.

The 2024 vintage in Napa Valley will be remembered for its composure. A steady, even growing season produced Cabernet Sauvignons with both power and poise — wines that carry Napa's signature richness while retaining freshness, detail, and structure.

The 2024 wine is a blend from the red soils on the Eastern side of Oakville blended with fruit from a historic site in Coombsville. The wines were aged in 60% new French oak barrels from Taransaud, Sylvain, and Demptos. The nose is lavishly aromatic, soaring from the glass with notes of cassis, black cherry liqueur, crushed rock, violets, and dark cocoa. The palate is broad and velvety, coating every corner with waves of ripe black fruit while maintaining remarkable precision and lift throughout. As always, there is a luxuriousness to Monocle that makes it dangerously easy to drink young. Yet underneath the immediate appeal lies serious structure: polished tannins, beautifully integrated French oak, and a persistent finish that lingers long after the final sip.