2016 Terlato Family Vineyards Episode Napa Valley Proprietary Red • Bordeaux-Inspired Blend
Tony Terlato’s flagship Napa red: Cabernet-led, deeply polished, and built for the table that deserves a bottle with a little ceremony.
Slash Price $69 vs Wine-Searcher avg ≈ $166 vs Terlato winery reference $225.
Four reasons collectors move on this allocation
Episode is not Terlato’s everyday Napa red. It is the family’s prestige statement: Cabernet power, Bordeaux architecture, and the polish that makes a mature 2016 feel ready without feeling tired.
A prestige Napa blend tied to Terlato’s top family holdings and Bordeaux-minded selection.
2016 brings richness with lift: dark fruit, fine tannin, and the freshness that keeps the wine standing tall.
Cabernet Sauvignon leads, supported by Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc for depth, texture, and aromatic edge.
Drink now with a proper decant, or hold for the softer, more savory side of Napa maturity.
The Allocation Opportunity
- Prestige: Episode is positioned as Terlato’s top Bordeaux-style Napa statement.
- Value: $69 sits $97 below the Wine-Searcher average and $156 below the winery reference.
- Use: It has enough age for tonight and enough structure for a confident cellar lane.
A flagship Napa red with critic weight
The story here is not just a score. It is the combination of mature-vintage Napa pedigree, Cabernet-led architecture, and the kind of plush tannin profile that makes the wine feel expensive in the glass.
The value spread is the story
Slash Price $69 vs Wine-Searcher avg ≈ $166 vs Terlato winery reference $225. That is the clean math: a mature Napa flagship landing at a price that usually buys a much younger, much less ambitious Cabernet.
Dark fruit, velvet, and a classical edge
Black cherry, cassis, plum skin, and a darker berry core.
Plush but not loose: the tannins are polished, long, and built for food.
French-oak polish with cocoa, cedar, and spice folded into the fruit.
Long, juicy, and savory, with enough graphite-like grip to keep it serious.
Beautiful now with air; cellar-minded through the early-to-mid 2030s.
60–65°F. Decant 60–90 minutes for the most generous texture.
Cellar Horizon
Prime dinner-bottle energy: plush fruit, polished tannin, immediate pleasure after a decant.
More cedar, tobacco, and savory Napa complexity as the fruit settles into the frame.
For collectors who like mature Cabernet: softer edges, deeper spice, and a quieter finish.
Bordeaux architecture, Napa generosity
Episode begins with Cabernet Sauvignon at the center, then gains its shape from Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc. The result is Napa richness with a Bordeaux-style spine: fruit first, then structure, then that long, polished finish.
In the glass, the blend reads as dark and composed rather than loud. You get ripe fruit, cocoa, cedar, and a graphite edge, but the real pleasure is the texture: plush enough for tonight, serious enough to feel cellar-worthy.
Tony Terlato’s Napa statement
Episode has always carried a different kind of weight in the Terlato world. It is the bottle that says the family was not merely importing and championing great wines — it could build one of its own at the top of Napa’s table.
The Chimney Rock connection matters because it gives this wine a real Stags Leap-adjacent identity: polish, depth, and that rare combination of power and calm. It feels dressed up without trying too hard.
Tony Terlato’s luxury-wine perspective shaped Episode as a flagship, not a side project.
Built around the classic architecture of Cabernet-led Napa proprietary red wine.
Now entering the phase where tannin softens and the wine begins to show its richer, more savory layers.
Food that meets the wine where it lives
This is a red for lamb, short ribs, dry-aged steak, mushrooms, and anything with rosemary, smoke, or a glossy pan sauce. The tannins want protein; the fruit wants char; the oak wants something savory.
Garlic & Rosemary Lamb Chops
Lamb gives the Cabernet fruit a savory counterweight while rosemary pulls out the wine’s cedar-and-herb edge.
Why it works: the fat softens the tannins and the char makes the dark fruit feel brighter.
View RecipeRed Wine Braised Short Ribs
A slow braise mirrors the wine’s plush texture and lets the savory finish stretch out.
Why it works: collagen-rich beef turns the tannin into velvet and amplifies the cocoa-spice notes.
View RecipeSteak with Bordelaise
Bordelaise brings the Bordeaux soul of Episode right to the plate.
Why it works: shallot, stock, and red-wine reduction echo the wine’s graphite, cedar, and black-fruit depth.
View RecipeSecure the flagship, drink it with purpose
Steak night, lamb chops, short ribs, or a quiet dinner that deserves a serious bottle.
Hold a few bottles and let the 2016 vintage move into cedar, tobacco, and softer texture.
A flagship Napa name with enough age and presence to feel special immediately.
