Terlato EPISODE estate spotlight
Winemaker Marisa Taylor discusses EPISODE’s original 2005 release in this Rutherford Hill Winery conversation, offering direct product context for the family’s Napa flagship.
2016 Terlato Family Vineyards EPISODE
Terlato’s Cabernet-led flagship, now inside Wine Advocate’s published 2023–2043 drinking window.
EPISODE brings baked black cherry, cassis, cedar, and cigar-box depth into a full-bodied frame built for slow dinners and longer cellaring. Wine Advocate’s 93+ rating establishes the pedigree; the $69 six-bottle tier turns a supplied $166 market context into a 58% value gap.
$414 six-bottle allocation
A mature Napa flagship with its proof already in place
EPISODE combines exact-vintage acclaim, a published drinking window, Cabernet-led structure, and a six-bottle price tier that changes the value equation.
Exact-Vintage Acclaim
Wine Advocate rated the 2016 EPISODE 93+, with black fruit, cedar, spice, and a long savory finish anchoring the review.
Drinking Window
The published 2023–2043 window puts this release in a useful middle ground: mature enough for now, still credible for the cellar.
Blend + Élevage
Cabernet leads a four-grape blend aged 21 months in new French oak, building concentration, aromatic detail, and polished Napa scale.
Price Tier
The verified storefront tier is $69 per bottle with six or more, placing a mature flagship far below both supplied comparison references.
One exact-vintage review does the heavy lifting
The 93+ Wine Advocate review supplies both sensory detail and a long published window, so unsupported score stacking is unnecessary.
How does $69 compare with the supplied $166 market average?
EPISODE lands 58% below that per-bottle anchor, with exact-vintage acclaim and 2016 maturity already in place.
At $69 per bottle, the six-bottle allocation totals $414.
The ~$166 Wine-Searcher context and $225 winery reference were supplied for this promotion; the $69 six-bottle tier was verified on ShopWineSlash (opens in a new tab) July 24, 2026.
The bottle is mature enough for tonight, yet priced well below both supplied references.
Lock the six-bottle tier now, or complete a 12-bottle case for free shipping.
Secure Your AllocationDark-fruited depth with a composed, savory edge
The critic note points to generous Napa fruit, layered oak detail, and a firm structure that benefits from air.
Napa Valley Vintners calls 2016 a near-perfect growing season, with a steady, mild July and August followed by warm finishing days that brought vineyards to ripeness before October rain. That context aligns with this wine’s generous fruit and resilient structure.
Baked black cherry, warm plum, cassis, cedar, cigar box, sandalwood, and star anise build a layered aromatic profile.
Full-bodied and concentrated, with firm, chewy tannins giving the black fruit and new-oak richness a disciplined frame.
Long and savory. Serve at 60–65°F after 60–90 minutes of air, then follow the wine as the tannins relax.
Black cherry and cassis remain central while cedar, cocoa, and spice settle around a still-firm frame.
Projected development favors tobacco, sandalwood, and softer texture as the fruit shifts toward dried tones.
Projected maturity brings quieter fruit, more earth and spice, and a gentler finish for drinkers who enjoy evolved Cabernet.
Cabernet architecture, built with Napa generosity
The blend and élevage explain why EPISODE feels broad through the middle yet disciplined through the finish.
The blend: EPISODE starts with 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, then 20% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and 5% Cabernet Franc. The mix gives the wine its hierarchy: cassis and black cherry first, plush middle-palate breadth second, then graphite, spice, and aromatic lift.
The élevage: The 2016 spent 21 months in 100% new French oak, according to the published technical details used for this promotion. That élevage explains the cedar, cocoa, cigar-box, and sandalwood notes while a full-bodied frame keeps the oak integrated with concentrated fruit.
The result: At 15% alcohol, this is a generous Napa red, but its best feature is control. Firm, chewy tannins and a long savory finish give the richness shape, making 60 to 90 minutes of air a useful service choice rather than a rescue operation.
From a Chicago wine shop to a Napa flagship
EPISODE brings the Terlato family’s long luxury-wine perspective into a single, Cabernet-led statement from Napa Valley.
In 1938, Anthony Paterno opened a Chicago retail store that became the Terlato family’s starting point in fine wine. The business grew from neighborhood shelves into a family-owned international portfolio, with Tony Terlato shaping its luxury-wine point of view.
Rutherford Hill, founded in 1972, helped establish Merlot in Napa Valley. Terlato later added Rutherford Hill and Chimney Rock to its California estate holdings, connecting family ambition to vineyards in Rutherford and the Stags Leap District.
EPISODE concentrates that Napa chapter into one Cabernet-led red. Fruit from Chimney Rock, Rutherford Hill, and Alder Ridge receives a 21-month élevage in new French oak, giving the 2016 its dark-fruited scale, cedar polish, and long savory frame.
A flagship built for the part of the cellar that gets opened
The 2016 sits at a rare intersection: family flagship stature, exact-vintage acclaim, and enough freshness to stay compelling through 2043.
Decant for 60 to 90 minutes, serve slightly cool, and let the dark fruit, cedar, and savory finish unfold.
Keep several bottles for the 2030s, when tobacco, sandalwood, and softer tannins should steadily take a larger role.
Six bottles secure the $69 price; 12 bottles preserve that tier while adding the store’s free-shipping benefit.
EPISODE captures the moment Terlato’s American wine ambition became tangible in one Napa flagship. Secure your allocation while this mature release remains available.
