2021 Picayune Cellars Padlock Proprietary Red Blend Napa Valley 750 ml

Seven years ago, we had to fight off the likes of Gramercy Tavern and The French Laundry for our first tiny allocation of Picayune’s Padlock red. Every year since, we’ve had to muscle out others for bigger and bigger allocations—which can never quite keep up with the Picayune fan base.

Every time we’ve offered Padlock, it’s sold out promptly and earned raves. “May be one of the best values I have ever purchased” from Wine Access, wrote one member. “Incredible wine for the money by Napa Valley standards. Beautifully made in every way—complexity, richness, aromatics, finish, nice kiss of oak.”  

Padlock’s quality-to-price ratio is thanks to vintner Claire Weinkauf, whose résumé is as diverse as it is impressive. After earning a wine degree in Chile and working harvests in Saint-Émilion, she met 100-point winemaker Paul Hobbs, who hired her at the renowned Viña Cobos in Argentina and at his eponymous California winery. 

With Picayune, she called on her formidable network to secure some of the most coveted grapes in Napa for this bold red blend. In fact, the name “Padlock” refers to the hush-hush sources of Picayune’s first-rate grapes, which Weinkauf keeps shrouded in secrecy to preserve the wine’s impressive value. Thanks to her myriad connections and an extraordinary vintage, she had no problem finding the exquisite Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Cab Franc, and Merlot that make up the 2021 Padlock.

Aged 11 months in French oak (just 10% of it new), this wine is kissed by Napa sunshine but structured like a Bordelaise red. It’s both accessible and contemplative—a seductive bottle we find ourselves reaching for again and again without a second thought. You will too.