Our search for affordable, top-quality Napa Valley Cabernet took a turn this past winter when a corporate customer of ours asked specifically for Tether Cabernet, a wine we confessed we’d never heard of.  We contacted the wine’s co-producer Kimberly Jones, the well-known Napa Valley wine broker who knows about as much about the wines of the Valley as anyone.  Sure, she said.  She’d make some of her Tether available for this order and offered us a bottle to try for ourselves.  I am as cynical as it comes when it comes to Napa Valley Cabernet, often suggesting to some producers (and their three-digit priced wines) that there might just be LSD in the water supply up there.  But here was a pedigreed Cabernet that seemed to have everything immaculately in place, and for a very, very fair price too!  Kimberly makes it with winemaker Anna Monticelli, a young veteran with experience in cellars like Cheval Blanc, Seavey and Bryant Family, from fruit sourced from all over the Valley.  This 2021 Tether, for example, came from vineyards Anna and Kimberly work with on Atlas Peak, Spring Mountain, Pope Valley and Rockpile, among others, and relies on contributions not only from Cabernet Sauvignon (77% of the 2021 blend) but also Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot.  That sheer diversity (along with some very astute blending on Anna’s part) is what makes Tether so interesting to drink.  There’s a lot going on but nothing seems out of balance or pushy.  The aromatics are particularly impressive with beautifully articulated black and purple fruit, graphite and violets predominating now but with undercurrents of pipe tobacco, lavender, tar and slate that emerge with air.  Middleweight and light on its feet but still  quite full on the palate, the tannins are as supple as can be and the finish more reminiscent of Margaux than Napa.  Pretty impressive, we thought, for a Napa Cabernet selling for around $50!  And, I have to admit, the label is pretty cool too.  I may be a cynic but I’m a sucker for a pretty package and I really dig the astronaut so precariously tethered to…..well…..we wonder what.  We have a lot to thank our customers for and the tip on Tether was one we won’t forget soon.