2016 Chateau Boswell 'Absolutely Eloise' Radian Vineyard Pinot Noir

“These are all expensive, but impressive wines.” – Wine Advocate

But not today, impressive, nonetheless! Sometimes a figurative phoenix rises from the literal ashes. And then, like Fawkes in Harry Potter, it rises again, and again.

In 2020, the famous Chateau Boswell estate burned to the ground in the devastating Glass Fire. And a few months ago, we broke out the 2017 vintage of this same wine. It sold out in hours.

Today we’re back with a previous vintage from the vineyard next door. It's arguably as good, if not better. Just like the 2017 we loved last year, it also scored big, with 96 points from Jeb Dunnuck. And after a decade of age, it tastes incredible. A CellarTracker review from 2024 remarked, “the 2016 is in a prime-time drinking window” and will remain there for a few more years, we think.

Chateau Boswell remains one of the greats of Napa Valley. As they explained “Richard Thornton Boswell had the foresight to create a Napa Valley winery with the goal of excellence in small lot French Style wine production with wines sold directly to the client.”

Only available direct from the winery, they have long been a favorite among serious collectors with well-padded bank accounts. The wines almost always score huge - as is the case here, with the 96 from Jeb. The prices were similarly large, as Wine Advocate states, and at $150+, this was not very attainable for the average enthusiast.

But drop over $100 off that price tag, and it falls within reach of us mortals.

The style here is similarly massive. These are not Pinots for the IPOB (in pursuit of balance) crowd but rather those who want throttling fruit and towering structure. If light, delicate Burgundian style is what you're after, turn away. This clearly had that massive concentration and power, which has tamed a bit with some age, but plenty of ripe red and blue fruit still prevail. Factor in the many other layers - truffle-laden forest floor, exotic wood, baking spices, and you get a stunning example on par with the very best.

The estate spared no expense in every aspect of their efforts, with the great André Tchelistcheff leading the charge in the founding years. Lately, they transitioned from Russel Bevan to Phillipe Melka, who helped guide the hand of Allison Nunnikhoven, their current Director of Winemaking.

As they expanded their efforts beyond Cabernet to focus on Pinot and Chardonnay, they sought fruit from some of the best vineyards beyond Napa - Rita’s Crown, Bentrock, and Radian here before us. This Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir perfectly shows off their effort to produce terroir-driven wines. This is as good an expression of Sta. Rita Pinot, as you'll find. Where warm days and cool nights produce heady, weighty Pinots with massive concentration, acidity, and complexity.

Though they are still working on rebuilding their iconic winery, they continue to produce fantastic, jaw-dropping wines. But this is a rare library release – a phoenix rising from the ashes…

Opportunities like this don’t come around often - blink, and you might miss it!

96 Points – Jeb Dunnuck “Chateau Boswell and winemaker Phillipe Melka (who’s also assisted by Allison Nunnikhoven) have produced some brilliant wines in 2016, starting with the 2016 Pinot Noir Radian Vineyard, which comes from the Sta. Rita Hills in Santa Barbara County. This rich, powerful wine has obvious marine notes and salinity in its darker berry fruits, lavender, and forest floor aromas and flavors. Seeing just a touch of stems and 16 months in 65% new French oak, drink this medium to full-bodied, incredibly layered Pinot Noir any time over the coming decade or more. Drink 2019-2029.”