We pay attention when Aaron Pott sets out to make a $40 Napa blend. Especially when he starts with barrels from his Lagier-Meredith collection. The 2023 Red is Pott’s answer to Napa’s increasingly expensive, increasingly serious reds: a Syrah-driven blend made for pure drinking pleasure, but with absolutely nothing casual about its pedigree. Decanter gave it 95 points and called it one of the best sub-$50 Napa blends they’ve tasted in a long time. Then you look at what Pott actually put in the bottle: 45% Syrah, 35% Mourvèdre, 10% Zinfandel, with Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Malbec rounding out the blend. It’s a wonderfully unconventional snapshot of Napa, built around Rhône varieties rather than Cabernet and deliberately crafted to be fresh, generous, and ready to drink now. In a valley famous for wines that demand patience, Pott made one you simply want to open. He didn’t skimp on the winemaking to get there. Approximately 66% new French oak brings polish and dimension while preserving the fun and energy Pott saw in the 2023 vintage. Aaron says this wine was built to overdeliver, and that might be underselling it. With one of Napa’s most accomplished winemakers behind it, 95 points from Decanter, and 300 cases made, $39.99 feels absurdly reasonable.