The Napa family story behind the bottle.
Four reasons collectors move on this allocation.
Cabernet gives the wine frame; Zinfandel, Merlot, Malbec and Pinot Noir add fruit, roundness, spice and lift.
Red cherry, blackberry, currant and dried strawberry meet red pepper, olive, cocoa and sweet spice.
Medium-to-full bodied, juicy, and broad through the middle, with tannin that likes a crusty sear.
Drink now with a short decant, or cellar into the next few years as the savory tones settle in.
Two strong reads, one clear message: plush Napa fruit with savory detail.
A cleaner value spread, built to be understood fast.
Taken has the profile that tends to disappear from racks quickly: Napa Valley on the label, a plush red-blend style in the glass, and enough critic support to make the decision feel easy.
At $23, the offer lands well under both the market snapshot and the winery reference. That is the quiet advantage here — not a flashy price trick, just a strong bottle with a spread that makes the six-bottle move make sense.
Plush fruit, cocoa dust, and a savory little turn at the end.
Blackberry, dark cherry, ripe plum, red berry, currant and dried strawberry.
Red pepper, black olive, dried herbs and a faint graphite edge.
Sweet spice, vanilla, cocoa powder, dark chocolate and espresso tones.
Juicy, medium-to-full bodied, plush tannins, built for grilled meats.
Berry fruit, cocoa, spice and a smooth, dinner-friendly close.
Drink now through 2028. Decant 20–30 minutes for best texture.
Cabernet frame. Zinfandel warmth. Merlot ease.
The 2019 Taken Red is a Napa blend led by Cabernet Sauvignon, with Zinfandel, Merlot, Malbec and Pinot Noir filling in the shape. That combination is the story in the glass: structure first, then fruit, then a little savory spice around the edges.
It does not try to be a massive, brooding cellar monument. It is more useful than that. Blackberry and plum carry the middle, cocoa and sweet spice add polish, and olive-herb notes keep the finish from feeling simple.
A modern label with deep Napa family roots.
Taken carries the energy of the next Napa generation. It was shaped by Josh Phelps and Carlo Trinchero — a label with a more relaxed voice, but a serious understanding of what people want from Napa red wine.
The Trinchero side gives the story weight: an immigrant family, a Napa start at Sutter Home, and decades of work that helped bring California wine onto American tables. Taken feels connected to that spirit — generous, polished, and made to be opened.
Go where the wine wants to go: char, salt, smoke, and beef.
Cabernet handles structure. Zinfandel loves char. Merlot smooths the middle. That makes Taken a natural fit for burgers and prime rib — dishes with enough fat and browning to pull out the wine’s dark cherry, cocoa and savory spice.
A smart Napa red to buy by the six-pack.
2019 Taken Red is not the bottle you save for a speech. It is the bottle you open when dinner is already smelling good and you want Napa character without making the evening feel formal.
At $23 against a $40 winery reference, the logic is clean: buy the six, open the first one with something grilled, and keep the rest where weeknight dinners can find them.
