2020 Nine Hats Red Wine
This is the red you crack at a moment’s notice, then somehow end up opening the second bottle.
We love this wine. It is fresh, clean, generous, and wildly approachable, yet it still carries a classical edge. Think Bordeaux-like build with the new-world fruit lift of Washington: dark berries, cocoa, tobacco, polished tannin, and a finish that gets even better after day two. At $15 a bottle by the case, it drinks like something 3–4x the price.
$15/bottle • Editors’ Choice
Four reasons this case is a total winner
A rare Editors’ Choice red that is powerful yet restrained, classical yet fresh, and approachable enough to pour on a Tuesday without thinking twice.
Editors’ Choice rarity
Wine Enthusiast did not just score it 91. They made it an Editors’ Choice, the kind of signal that says this bottle over-delivers in a meaningful way.
So easy to love
Fresh and clean up front, soft through the middle, and polished enough that the second bottle feels like the obvious move.
Built by the right hand
Gilles Nicault brings a serious pedigree, shaped around great mentors and collaborators including Michel Rolland, Philippe Melka, Armin Diel, and John Duval.
Old-world frame, new-world fruit
The wine has a Bordeaux-like sense of proportion, but the fruit is unmistakably Washington: ripe, lifted, and full of dark-berry energy.
The allocation opportunity
- Rare top-line acclaim: the Wine Enthusiast Editors’ Choice designation is now the lead story.
- Real-world greatness: approachable, clean, fresh, powerful but restrained, and even better after day two.
- Value that feels obvious: $180/case with free shipping vs ≈$324 market case and $360 winery case.
The rare Editors’ Choice signal
Wine Enthusiast made this an Editors’ Choice, and that changes the whole read: this is not just a nice 91-point red. It is the bottle that makes you stop, pour again, and wonder how it is only $15 by the case.
Worth 3–4x the price
Slash Price $180/case with free shipping vs Wine-Searcher case reference ≈ $324 vs Winery case reference $360.
This is the kind of red that makes the math feel too simple. At $180/case with free shipping included, the allocation sits $144 below the Wine-Searcher case reference and $180 below the winery case reference, while carrying the rare Editors’ Choice distinction.
Compare the reference points here: Wine-Searcher and Winery.
The best use case is obvious: keep it close. Open one at a moment’s notice. Open the second without guilt. Revisit it on day two and watch the classical edge come forward.
Full 12-bottle case price with free shipping included. That is $15 per bottle for an Editors’ Choice red that drinks far above its tariff.
Fresh, clean, classical, and deeply drinkable
Powerful yet restrained. Approachable immediately. Better after day two. Exactly the kind of red you want around.
Black cherry, blackberry, red and black berries, ripe plum, clean Washington lift.
Powerful but restrained, with polished tannins and a Bordeaux-like sense of proportion.
Cocoa nib, tobacco, pencil, bark, carob, dried herbs, and a classical red-wine frame.
One of the best parts: it opens wider, gets silkier, and feels even more complete after a night open.
60–64°F; pull the cork whenever dinner suddenly gets serious.
Optional 20–30 minute splash decant, though it is approachable right out of the gate.
Fresh, clean fruit and polished texture make it immediately useful.
The wine relaxes, deepens, and shows more tobacco, cocoa, and classical structure.
Enough backbone to hold, but the charm is already here.
Built by a winemaker who learned from the best
Gilles Nicault’s work carries that rare balance: old-world discipline, new-world clarity, and no heaviness for heaviness’s sake.
Mentor line: Gilles Nicault’s path runs through serious global wine thinking, with mentors and collaborators such as Michel Rolland, Philippe Melka, Armin Diel, and John Duval. You feel that in the way this wine is built: nothing sloppy, nothing overdone.
Site to glass: Columbia Valley fruit gives the blend its fresh, dark-fruited center. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, and Petit Verdot create a Bordeaux-like architecture with Washington’s open, generous fruit.
Why it matters: It is powerful yet restrained, clean yet classical, and approachable enough to drink tonight. That is exactly why the Editors’ Choice signal feels earned.
The Long Shadows idea, made everyday
Nine Hats has always carried a clever promise: take the seriousness around Long Shadows and make it more reachable, more relaxed, more ready for the table.
The name comes from the nine renowned winemakers behind Long Shadows’ signature wines. The original idea was practical and brilliant: after each harvest, barrels that did not fit the final Long Shadows blends could still become wines of real character under the Nine Hats label.
That matters because this bottle is not trying to impersonate a luxury Cabernet. It is doing something more useful: offering a polished Washington red with enough pedigree to feel special and enough ease to open without a speech.
That is the charm here. It tastes serious without acting precious. It is fresh, clean, structured, and totally comfortable at the table.
What to cook with it
Think smoke, char, spice, and a little sweetness. The wine’s cocoa, tobacco, dark fruit, and polished tannin want food with a browned edge.
This is a no-stress dinner red: barbecue ribs, blackened fish, burgers, steak tacos, grilled sausages, roast mushrooms, or whatever just came off the grill.
Serve at 60–64°F. Open it whenever. Splash decant if you want the classical edge to show early; save a glass for day two if you want to see why we like it so much.
Oven-Baked Barbecue Ribs
Sweet-smoky ribs make the wine’s blackberry and cocoa feel rounder, while the tannins cut through the glaze and rendered fat.
Why it works: the wine’s plush tannin and coffee-cocoa finish lock beautifully into barbecue char, brown sugar, and smoke.
View Recipe
Grilled Blackened Fish Sandwiches
A Cajun-spiced crust pulls out the wine’s dried-herb and tobacco notes, while the creamy slaw keeps the pairing lively.
Why it works: blackened spice meets the blend’s savory edge, and the wine’s dark fruit softens the heat without flattening the dish.
View RecipeThis is the case you want within reach.
Wine Enthusiast Editors’ Choice. Fresh, clean, classical, approachable, powerful but restrained. $180/case with free shipping included. This is a total winner.
Crack it at a moment’s notice. Burgers, ribs, steak tacos, blackened fish, pizza, or roast mushrooms.
So approachable and balanced that the second bottle never feels forced.
Save a glass. The fruit relaxes, the tobacco and cocoa deepen, and the classical frame shows more clearly.
$180 per case with free shipping included. Compared with the $30 winery reference, the 12-bottle case saves $180 while giving you a rare Editors’ Choice red that drinks like something far above its price.
