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$450 Napa Cab is selling out after golfer Phil Mickelson swigged it from trophy
Golfer Phil Mickelson may well be able to add ‘wine influencer’ to his long list of accolades, after his endorsement of a US$450 Cabernet Sauvignon lead to it flying off the shelves.
Tor Wines’ Black Magic Cabernet Sauvignon – the most expensive wine produced by the St. Helena winemaker – is selling remarkably quickly, thanks at least in part to an endorsement on Instagram from golfing great Phil Mickelson.
The video in question shows Mickelson sampling the Black Magic Cabernet Sauvignon from inside the Wanamaker – the trophy awarded to the winner of the PGA Championship.
Mickelson pronounced the drop “Probably my favorite wine, certainly from Napa,” continuing:
“Like, I know the wine is good, but there’s something about the Wanamaker that just gives it that little extra.”
Winemaker Tor Kenward told the San Francisco Chronicle that the wine has become his fastest-selling bottle, thanks to the video.
“You’re always surprised when the most expensive wine you make is the one that sells out the fastest,” he told the publication.
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Kenward said that the response was remarkably swift from Mickelson’s fans, who immediately began ringing the winery asking how they could get their hands on a bottle.
Unfortunately, the Cab is made in limited batches of 3,000 and had already been selling well before Mickelson’s endorsement.
There were only 15 cases left even before the golfer’s video.
“We’ve been trying to give one bottle per person for people who came in after the Phil thing,” Kenward said.
It has become traditional for golfers to swig booze from the Wanamaker Trophy to toast their victory, and the long link between golfers and getting serious about wine is well established.
H/T: San Francisco Chronicle.
Read More: Constellation invests in golf star Cristie Kerr’s winery.
Tor Wines was founded in 2001 by Tor Kenward, who had previously spent 27 years working with Beringer Vineyards, finishing as vice president at Napa’s oldest continuously operating winery.
Tor Wines focuses on minimum intervention single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Bordeaux varieties bottled in small quantities.
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