2019 de Négoce OG N.150 Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain
93 points, Gold Medal ~ 2021 Sommeliers Challenge Wine Competition
Tasting Notes
Deep ruby/opaque in the glass. Sweet violets and crushed red rock halo black cherry, leather, and plum. There are layers of nuance and complexity here and a new discovery around every corner as the bouquet opens up with blackberry and brown sugar/walnut husk joining cinnamon spice. Ripe and chewy on entry with black cherry and leather resounding over bristling tannins. The finish is beautiful, playing out with richness, elegance, and precision. Exceptionally-deft winemaking here.
The story of N.150 started on our trip up to Washington State late one summer. Word got around that we had tidied up many a cellar and we were invited back to peruse the expansive cellars of another high-end producer. Here we found a treasure trove of largely pre-assembled barrel lots of Cabernet Sauvignon from some of Red Mountains finest vineyards like Ciel du Cheval, Quintessence, and Klipsun not to mention the producer’s own estate vineyard.
We finalized two wines, the first of which is OG N.150 2019 Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon.
A combination of barrel lots from programs that range from $50/bottle (~60% of blend) up to the mid-$80’s (~40% of the blend), the result captures all the ethereal beauty of Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. I do think it’s fair to say this wine would easily retail for $60+/bottle.
2019 de Négoce OG N.240 Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain
Tasting Notes
Dark and inky in the glass. The emerging bouquet is beautifully balanced with layers of perfume and violets, blackberry kirsch, crushed red rock, leather, and notes of black cherry, blueberry, toffee, and bourbon vanilla. Wow. Juicy, focused, and palate-staining, with black cherry and blueberry compote complexed with worn leather, tobacco, and vanilla caressing the palate. Rich, velvety tannins escort the ripe, sexy, silky black and blue fruit to one heck of a magic carpet ride finish. Booyah.
Yes, indeed, it is time to back up the truck!
The main component is a fantastic lot of 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon from one of Red Mountain’s premier producers (their well-over $70, 2018 bottling scored 94-points from The Wine Advocate and hasn’t scored below 92-points for the past nine years).
Plush yet powerful, this fantastic Cabernet is emblematic of the energetic, exuberant fruit from the thrilling 2019 vintage. Bottled in late August, the wine is already showing nicely and deliciously approachable. Man, I love the 2019s.
As a negociant or wine trader, I’ve been sourcing and selling great wine from around the globe for over 20 years. My new de Négoce [day-NA-go-SHAY] platform offers you the opportunity to pre-purchase these wines before they go into the bottle. Known in the trade as En Primeur or futures, buying wine out of the barrel allows you to access pricing not seen since the 1970s.
Of course, none of this operates without the crucial ingredient of trust. And while the phrase “trust me” stands perhaps a little tarnished in today’s world, I ask for your trust and promise every wine will be as represented in the offer. - Cameron Hughes
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TX, VT, VA, WA, WI, WY
de Négoce Washington Cabernet Sauvignon
6 bottles for $79.99 $13.33/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $149.99 $12.50/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations).
2019 de Négoce Washington Cabernet Sauvignon - $10 = 6.25%
Labrat reporting for duty. We were graced with an email from Alice asking if we were around. “ Of course” I replied.
The Cliff Notes, we liked 150 a lot better than 240. We are not strangers to de Negoce and have had lots of bottles, but these are our first from these two numbers.
We were pleasantly surprised with two bottles from the same region. We decided to compare and contrast the two during two nights, all in the name of science and lab rat duties. The first night we had grilled cheeseburgers with poblano peppers/ provolone cheese, waffle fries, and farmer’s market tomatoes/basil and aged balsamic.
Lot 240 was full of cherries, vanilla, raisin, and hits of white pepper. It was a gorgeous color, nice legs, but not much nose. The nose was mostly smelling of alcohol with a hint of promise. This wine did not fair better with or without food. The last sip of the night reminded me of the last bite of a cherry cobbler with vanilla ice cream.
Lot 150 had a better nose, more berry flavor, less dry, and went better with food, aka, the wine brought out the flavors of the charred meat, the roasted, spicy pepper, and the creaminess of the cheese. It was more “juicy”.
Day 2 we had grilled chicken breast, smashed potatoes with dill, and green stuff, a.k.a, a beautiful salad. Lot 240 was the same. The aftertaste was like having oyster crackers. It left a dry feeling in your mouth. It was not bad by any means, just so different from Lot 150. Lot 150 is/was a bottle we wished we had more of.
They are both good bottles of wines and would be great every day bbq/ summer wines. We were surprised on the finishes of the wines. Lot 240, much more dry, Lot 150, much more lingering.
I am here to answer any questions. Thank you Alice and Casemates to try these wines.
I won the rat lottery! Not one, but two bottles to try out!
If you are not familiar with de negoce, it is the new(ish) project of Cameron Hughes who has specialized in buying and reselling higher-end bulk wine for about 15 to 20 years. I started buying from him via Costco in 2005 and even bought my first case from his old company. I’ve had many gems from him over the years, but no outright misses. I suggest you get on his email list, if you are not already. The wine futures offers have had some killer deals.
I received two bottles, lot 150 and lot 240, the latter of which I bought a case of not too long ago.
Lot 150
I tried lot 150 first and paired it with some ribs on Saturday. I PnPed it after putting it in the wine fridge overnight.
My sense of smell isn’t the best due to seasonal allergies (which have been rather bad this year), but I got a strong whiff of alcohol along with chocolate, cherry, and leather notes. There were a decent amount of tannins, so it could use some additional time in the bottle, but softened up with some air. It is drinkable, but could use some additional time to lay down or a decant. Color was typical of a cab: dark, with a plumish color on the edges. I initially experienced berry notes with a bit of spice going to a cherry finish.
Lot 240
This bottle has had a cult following over on wine beserkers for a while as the ultimate cab cellar defender. At the initial future pricing for this wine ($12/btl), you simply are not going to find a better cab today. I’m kinda shocked it made its way here to be honest.
Color wise it is a typical cab. My allergies were awful today, so I can’t tell you what the nose is like.
The highlight of the wine is its structure. It is smooth with ample chalkiness in its texture. Taste-wise it is similar throughout. It is highlighted by notes of cherry, tobacco, and vanilla. It is a gorgeous wine. It stood up well to a flank steak topped with herb butter.
Overall Thoughts
Buy this for lot 240. It continues to live up to the hype. On a price-quality ratio, it is probably the best I’ve had from Cameron in 15 years of actively buying from him. It is a fantastic wine. This is not to say 150 is bad, but you would have to go up to a $75-100 bottle program to find something that has the same gravitas.
The initial pricing for 240 was $12 plus shipping. 150 was $10 plus shipping. Factoring in the cheaper shipping on casemates, you are getting these for about the same as the initial wine futures price.
If I didn’t have another 10 bottles of 240 and an overflowing cellar (with few cases on order), I would jump on this with no questions asked. If you don’t, run to hit the buy button.
@kookie00 I love earthy too. And if I had tasted this on its own, it would have been fine. It just did not compare to the 150, especially pairing it with food. They are currently 19.00 in the bottle shop which makes this a good deal.
Oh…so where do these wines come from you ask? Part of the fun is guessing the producer and some folks have put together spreadsheets to keep track of the info, be it right/wrong or a bit of both. Seems that Lot 150 here is thought to be from DeLille Cellars and Lot 240 is guessed to be primarily Canvasback. Link to one of the spreadsheets out there:
I can recommend the 150- nice WA cab blend. Still have 5 left. One of the better de Negocé buys. All of the WA wines from them have been good imho. If N.160 ever shows up here ……
I’ve got a case of each, otherwise I would be in. I’ve found de Negoce to be a fantastic QPR, and this deal is one of the best I’ve seen. If you’re on the fence, Jump!
@klezman It is interesting. I tend to like different wines, really enjoyed the 2017 Ardevi tonight with brisket. I like earthy finishes, but Lot 150 went better with food and I liked the finish better. I wish @Winedavid49 would bring back the Cougar Crest Syrah. That was an earthy finish I just loved and still pine over.
@danandlisa@klezman@Winedavid49 yes, the Cougar Crest Syrah bought from here is yummy! (That’s my official wine review . The 2013 is now valued at almost double what we paid for it here on Casemates (according to CellarTracker). I should open up another one of those…CellarTracker tells me that it’s been 2 years since I’ve had one! How time flies during a pandemic.
2019 de Négoce OG N.150 Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain
93 points, Gold Medal ~ 2021 Sommeliers Challenge Wine Competition
Tasting Notes
Specs
2019 de Négoce OG N.240 Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain
Tasting Notes
Specs
What’s Included
6-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$228.00/Case for 6x 2019 de Négoce OG N.240 Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain & 6x 2019 de Négoce OG N.150 Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain at deNegoce
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TX, VT, VA, WA, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Jul 11 - Wednesday, Jul 13
de Négoce Washington Cabernet Sauvignon
6 bottles for $79.99 $13.33/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $149.99 $12.50/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2019 de Négoce OG Lot 150 Cabernet Sauvignon
2019 de Négoce OG Lot 240 Cabernet Sauvignon
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations).
2019 de Négoce Washington Cabernet Sauvignon - $10 = 6.25%
Labrat reporting for duty. We were graced with an email from Alice asking if we were around. “ Of course” I replied.
The Cliff Notes, we liked 150 a lot better than 240. We are not strangers to de Negoce and have had lots of bottles, but these are our first from these two numbers.
We were pleasantly surprised with two bottles from the same region. We decided to compare and contrast the two during two nights, all in the name of science and lab rat duties. The first night we had grilled cheeseburgers with poblano peppers/ provolone cheese, waffle fries, and farmer’s market tomatoes/basil and aged balsamic.
Lot 240 was full of cherries, vanilla, raisin, and hits of white pepper. It was a gorgeous color, nice legs, but not much nose. The nose was mostly smelling of alcohol with a hint of promise. This wine did not fair better with or without food. The last sip of the night reminded me of the last bite of a cherry cobbler with vanilla ice cream.
Lot 150 had a better nose, more berry flavor, less dry, and went better with food, aka, the wine brought out the flavors of the charred meat, the roasted, spicy pepper, and the creaminess of the cheese. It was more “juicy”.
Day 2 we had grilled chicken breast, smashed potatoes with dill, and green stuff, a.k.a, a beautiful salad. Lot 240 was the same. The aftertaste was like having oyster crackers. It left a dry feeling in your mouth. It was not bad by any means, just so different from Lot 150. Lot 150 is/was a bottle we wished we had more of.
They are both good bottles of wines and would be great every day bbq/ summer wines. We were surprised on the finishes of the wines. Lot 240, much more dry, Lot 150, much more lingering.
I am here to answer any questions. Thank you Alice and Casemates to try these wines.
I won the rat lottery! Not one, but two bottles to try out!
If you are not familiar with de negoce, it is the new(ish) project of Cameron Hughes who has specialized in buying and reselling higher-end bulk wine for about 15 to 20 years. I started buying from him via Costco in 2005 and even bought my first case from his old company. I’ve had many gems from him over the years, but no outright misses. I suggest you get on his email list, if you are not already. The wine futures offers have had some killer deals.
I received two bottles, lot 150 and lot 240, the latter of which I bought a case of not too long ago.
Lot 150
I tried lot 150 first and paired it with some ribs on Saturday. I PnPed it after putting it in the wine fridge overnight.
My sense of smell isn’t the best due to seasonal allergies (which have been rather bad this year), but I got a strong whiff of alcohol along with chocolate, cherry, and leather notes. There were a decent amount of tannins, so it could use some additional time in the bottle, but softened up with some air. It is drinkable, but could use some additional time to lay down or a decant. Color was typical of a cab: dark, with a plumish color on the edges. I initially experienced berry notes with a bit of spice going to a cherry finish.
Lot 240
This bottle has had a cult following over on wine beserkers for a while as the ultimate cab cellar defender. At the initial future pricing for this wine ($12/btl), you simply are not going to find a better cab today. I’m kinda shocked it made its way here to be honest.
Color wise it is a typical cab. My allergies were awful today, so I can’t tell you what the nose is like.
The highlight of the wine is its structure. It is smooth with ample chalkiness in its texture. Taste-wise it is similar throughout. It is highlighted by notes of cherry, tobacco, and vanilla. It is a gorgeous wine. It stood up well to a flank steak topped with herb butter.
Overall Thoughts
Buy this for lot 240. It continues to live up to the hype. On a price-quality ratio, it is probably the best I’ve had from Cameron in 15 years of actively buying from him. It is a fantastic wine. This is not to say 150 is bad, but you would have to go up to a $75-100 bottle program to find something that has the same gravitas.
The initial pricing for 240 was $12 plus shipping. 150 was $10 plus shipping. Factoring in the cheaper shipping on casemates, you are getting these for about the same as the initial wine futures price.
If I didn’t have another 10 bottles of 240 and an overflowing cellar (with few cases on order), I would jump on this with no questions asked. If you don’t, run to hit the buy button.
@kookie00 Too funny. I had the opposite reaction. I would buy it for the 150. I did not like the dry mouth after drinking 240.
@danandlisa Everyone has their own taste! I love those earthy Cabs.
@kookie00 I love earthy too. And if I had tasted this on its own, it would have been fine. It just did not compare to the 150, especially pairing it with food. They are currently 19.00 in the bottle shop which makes this a good deal.
@danandlisa @kookie00 y’all need to buy a case and trade up!
@danandlisa Are you near Indiana by chance?
@kookie00 Unfortunately no. I live in Oregon.
@danandlisa @kookie00
This has been said before…Casemates team: y’all are killing me slowly with these offers!
@ttboy23 same!
@a5meiser @ttboy23 muchas gracias!
I really wish they would go back to stuff I don’t like.
/giphy honored-silky-market
As @kookie00 mentioned there is a bit wine of Wine Berserkers chatter on these. You’ll have to sift through the noise but here’s a few links:
https://www.wineberserkers.com/forum/search.php?keywords=240&t=173666&sf=msgonly
https://www.wineberserkers.com/forum/search.php?keywords=150&t=173666&sf=msgonly
https://www.wineberserkers.com/forum/search.php?keywords=240&t=169722&sf=msgonly
Oh…so where do these wines come from you ask? Part of the fun is guessing the producer and some folks have put together spreadsheets to keep track of the info, be it right/wrong or a bit of both. Seems that Lot 150 here is thought to be from DeLille Cellars and Lot 240 is guessed to be primarily Canvasback. Link to one of the spreadsheets out there:
https://denegociants.com/
fwiw
Sounds like an interesting offer and a good QPR. You got me again!
/giphy runny-industrious-feta
My first de Négoce purchase!
/giphy distasteful-repulsive-connection
Got six!
dandy-bushy-magician
/giphy thriving-handsomely-anaconda
I can recommend the 150- nice WA cab blend. Still have 5 left. One of the better de Negocé buys. All of the WA wines from them have been good imho. If N.160 ever shows up here ……
I’ve got a case of each, otherwise I would be in. I’ve found de Negoce to be a fantastic QPR, and this deal is one of the best I’ve seen. If you’re on the fence, Jump!
@FritzCat thanks. yes, this a killer deal given de negoce’s very solid QPR to start with. IMO.
This sounds interesting if for no other reason than people have diametrically opposed views on which bottle is better.
@klezman It is interesting. I tend to like different wines, really enjoyed the 2017 Ardevi tonight with brisket. I like earthy finishes, but Lot 150 went better with food and I liked the finish better. I wish @Winedavid49 would bring back the Cougar Crest Syrah. That was an earthy finish I just loved and still pine over.
@danandlisa @klezman @Winedavid49 yes, the Cougar Crest Syrah bought from here is yummy! (That’s my official wine review
. The 2013 is now valued at almost double what we paid for it here on Casemates (according to CellarTracker). I should open up another one of those…CellarTracker tells me that it’s been 2 years since I’ve had one! How time flies during a pandemic.
It’s been a hot minute since I’ve placed an order, but something about the comments on this board just felt right.
/giphy enormous-technical-barracuda
Broke a very long SIWBM for this. In for 6.
Got a case for a coworker split. Woo.
@radiolysis way to split! woohoo!
/giphy calamitous-messy-panda
