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Agent Red
Founder and President
“My cover story? World-class wine expert. My real story? Classified.”
My Why has always been clear: to transform business into a force that leaves people and the world better than I found them. That conviction, paired with a newfound love of wine, led me to found Wine Spies in 2007 with a mission as bold as any: uncover hidden gems and deliver world-class wines to Operatives everywhere, while keeping our employees, suppliers, and (especially) customers love at the very top of our priorities.
My journey to this point has been anything but ordinary. Raised in a commune with little formal schooling, I learned early that shared vision can make the impossible real. By 16, I’d already flown a vintage airliner across the North Atlantic, fought wildfires in the Oregon high desert, managed kitchens that fed thousands, and programmed early enterprise computers. Those lessons of grit, curiosity, and collaboration still guide me today.
I’m honored that you’re reading this, and grateful to have you as our Operative. Every day, I’m working to enhance Wine Spies for both our customers and our team, while also covertly preparing my boldest and most audacious venture yet. Top secret for now.
Top Varietals
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Sauvignon
Red Blend
Top Regions
Mendocino County
Napa Valley
Sonoma County
Recent Picks
Domaine A&C Sparr
2021 'Révelation' Schoenenbourg Grand Cru Riesling
This Grand Cru Riesling by ambitious up-and-coming vintners Amélie & Charles Sparr’s a cellar-worthy showstopper.
Heidi Barrett is Napa Royalty in my book, and her electric-blue Moscato Azul is the crown jewel. I still get spy tears remembering the sunset pour of my final bottle, the mermaid glinting back at me while the glass emptied far too fast. Now I'm pacing HQ, waiting for the next vintage to surface. — Agent Red
Accessory
Accessories are non-wine products which can be added & shipped with your Locker. Accessories do not count against the 12-bottle Locker limit and will ship for free if the Locker is full!
La Sirena
2022 'Moscato Azul' Dry Muscat Canelli
This is the highest-rated dry California Muscat by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate as well as other publications.
Heidi Barrett is Napa Royalty in my book, and her electric-blue Moscato Azul is the crown jewel. I still get spy tears remembering the sunset pour of my final bottle, the mermaid glinting back at me while the glass emptied far too fast. Now I'm pacing HQ, waiting for the next vintage to surface. — Agent Red
Accessory
Accessories are non-wine products which can be added & shipped with your Locker. Accessories do not count against the 12-bottle Locker limit and will ship for free if the Locker is full!
Post & Vine
2019 Testa Vineyard Old Vine Field Blend
And the best part? Aside from how dang delicious the wine is?
The price.
I'm a sucker for old-vine field blends, and this is exactly why. 100-point winemaker Rebekah Wineburg left her Quintessa throne to craft Post & Vine's Testa Vineyard mix of Carignane, Zinfandel, and Petite Sirah from 60-year Mendocino vines. Juicy, vibrant, embarrassingly easy to finish. Only 252 cases exist, so I'm guarding my stash! — Agent Red
Accessory
Accessories are non-wine products which can be added & shipped with your Locker. Accessories do not count against the 12-bottle Locker limit and will ship for free if the Locker is full!
Beekeeper Cellars
2018 'Hidden Hillside' Reserve Zinfandel
There’s more of your favorite RESERVE beauty than the other two Zins but will it BEE enough? The buzz says no.
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I reach for Beekeeper's Hidden Hillside when someone swears Zinfandel can't rival the heavy hitters. Only seven barrels escaped the cellar and Wine Spies captured the lot, so opening one feels like handing over covert coordinates. A single pour usually turns the staunchest Zin-doubter into a believer. — Agent Red
Accessory
Accessories are non-wine products which can be added & shipped with your Locker. Accessories do not count against the 12-bottle Locker limit and will ship for free if the Locker is full!
A stupendous, 45%-OFF opportunity!
This Cab makes my short list because Quixote releases so little of its Stags Leap juice, outside of its own whimsical hillside winery, that landing even a few bottles feels like a covert mission: accomplished. Opening a bottle of this stunner reminds me Napa that still has secrets worth uncovering. — Agent Red
Accessory
Accessories are non-wine products which can be added & shipped with your Locker. Accessories do not count against the 12-bottle Locker limit and will ship for free if the Locker is full!
We’re the only merchant to have Robert Young’s Scion?
Robert Young was the first winery I ever courted, and it took years before they finally came around to working with Wine Spies. Their 2013 Scion shows why I persisted: a juicy, complex red blend that proves Robert Young's spot among top wine producers... and Alexander Valley as one of wine's preeminent regions. — Agent Red
Accessory
Accessories are non-wine products which can be added & shipped with your Locker. Accessories do not count against the 12-bottle Locker limit and will ship for free if the Locker is full!
Saddleback Cellars
2011 Napa Valley Posse Red
Under $20… for a Saddleback?! Yes, and we have every last bottle from our favorite 100 point winemaker…
Nils Venge, the first winemaker to earn a perfect 100, calls this blend his Posse. The 2011 pulls Cabernet, Merlot, and Syrah from Saddleback's Oakville stronghold, yet its stealth-low price drinks like it infiltrated a far higher tier. Proof that serious Napa pedigree can still be captured on a budget. — Agent Red
Accessory
Accessories are non-wine products which can be added & shipped with your Locker. Accessories do not count against the 12-bottle Locker limit and will ship for free if the Locker is full!
Deerfield Ranch
2007 Sonoma County Red Rex
This list would not be complete without a Deerfield wine. Winemaker Robert Rex once told me he builds Red Rex the way a chef perfects a signature dish... 30 percent chemistry, 70 percent cooking, finished with his “taste the passion” touch. Nearly eighteen years after our first Deerfield mission, this layered blend still ranks among my all-time favorites, proof that real craft can shine well below luxury pricing. — Agent Red
Accessory
Accessories are non-wine products which can be added & shipped with your Locker. Accessories do not count against the 12-bottle Locker limit and will ship for free if the Locker is full!
Champagne Charles Ellner
1999 'Séduction' Brut
I was so honored to personally interview Pierre Ellner for this wine - when a fourth-generation Champagne maker says he believes people have never tasted anything like his Séduction 1999, you listen. — Agent Red
Accessory
Accessories are non-wine products which can be added & shipped with your Locker. Accessories do not count against the 12-bottle Locker limit and will ship for free if the Locker is full!
Cambiata Winery
2005 Monterey County Tannat
Back in 2008 I interviewed winemaker Eric Laumann, and his take on Tannat rewired my palate. Cambiata literally means change, and this bottle delivers exactly that. This wine blew me away with its unique richness and depth. If you ever have a chance to try Tannat, go for it! — Agent Red
Accessory
Accessories are non-wine products which can be added & shipped with your Locker. Accessories do not count against the 12-bottle Locker limit and will ship for free if the Locker is full!
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