It’s kind of hard to get a degree in viticulture from UC Davis in 1969, move to Napa in ’74, set up your own company in ‘76—and still be under the radar in 2010. In fact, Alex Vyborny is such a low-key guy, you’d never know he’s the vineyard manager behind the success of Far Niente, Joseph Phelps and Chateau Souverain (to name a few).

We count on Alex and his half-acre Oak Glade Vineyard (planted in a dried-up old rocky river bed with specially selected cuttings from pre-prohibition vineyards) for our first true mixed blacks: A field blend of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Carignane and Malvasia varieties. There’s just no end—to his talent, expertise or the finish on this wine.