Sunday, May 17, 2026

CA Confidential - Top California Wines Under NDA: Wine Tasting at the Washington Wine and Cheese Seminar/ American Wine Society (Washington DC Chapter) (May 2026)





"CA Confidential - Top California Wines under NDA (non-disclosure agreement): Wine Tasting at the Washington Wine and Cheese Seminar/ American Wine Society (Washington DC Chapter). The line-up was composed of 5 excellent wines from classic California appellations, all bottled under alternative labels with many - including critical - details of their production shielded by NDA.


Invitation


We invite you to join us on Tuesday, May 12th for the first leg of a two week ‘trip’ that WWCS will take to sunny California wine country. Next week’s class theme is a bit unique; while our lineup will be composed of five excellent wines from classic California appellations, the focus of the presentation will be on an element of the wine business. And that is because the common trait that links our five wines---beyond the fact that they are all from California---is that they are also bottled under alternative labels with many details of their production shielded by a nondisclosure agreement, or NDA.

 

At first blush this may raise a few questions, though throughout the industry, NDAs have become a widespread and hugely popular avenue for bringing wine to market. And because there are obvious limits to what I can share about each of our individual selections, we will devote some time to a brief overview of how NDAs work and the many reasons that they are used. This includes an increasing reliance by top winemakers and vineyard owners to sell at least a portion of their output through such agreements (which is relevant for the wines we’ll taste next week).

 

While selling wine under NDA is regarded as a useful tool, their expanding use is also in part a reflection of the myriad challenges faced by the California wine industry today. Notably, NDA wines are often priced much more attractively than what otherwise might be the case. This represents potential lost revenue for winemakers and growers, but it also means opportunities for buyers to enjoy some great bottles at a fraction of the cost---if they know where to look.

 

Next week’s selections represent a cross-section of some of the wines that made California famous. All come from impeccable sources that while necessarily undisclosed, were arranged through a trusted merchant with strong connections. We’ll start on the rugged Sonoma Coast with a chiseled, precisely balanced Chardonnay, then take a drive north for an opulently styled Anderson Valley Pinot Noir. We then transition to a classic (i.e. not overripe) Zinfandel grown on a historic hilltop plot in the Russian River Valley, before finishing the evening with a pair of Cabernet Sauvignons, the first from a high-elevation mountain district, the other sourced from gravelly, well-drained vineyards located in the cooler southern portion of the Napa Valley.  

 

The best news of all is that this fantastic class will only set you back $30(!) which is a real bargain to experience a bit of California royalty under some different names. As an added bonus, we’ll feature not two but *three* delicious, thoughtfully selected cheeses: Humboldt Fog and Point Reyes Blue (appropriately from California), as well as a 2-year aged Black Diamond Cheddar from Canada. And of course, plenty of crusty baguettes. We hope to see you there.

 

Cheers,

Kevin

 

P.S. I mentioned at the beginning of this announcement that this is the first in a series of two back-to-back classes showcasing excellent California wines. So I’d be remiss if I didn’t also provide an early boost for our session on May 19th featuring a lineup of cool climate California wines which will be presented by Doug Beakes, who is a longtime friend of WWCS and leader of our fellow AWS John Marshall Chapter. My best recommendation is, naturally, to attend both of these events. :-)

 

NDA Wines in California (Google AI)

 

NDA wines in California are "white-labeled" bottles produced by high-end, iconic wineries that are sold under a different merchant label to protect the producer's brand while offloading excess inventory. These wines typically cost a fraction of the producer's standard price—often $30 to $50 for wine that originally retailed for $150 to $300.

How NDA Wines Work

Secrecy: Merchants are contractually bound by Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) to never reveal the specific source winery, vineyard, or winemaker.

The "Deal": Wineries use this method to clear out inventory without lowering the market value (and prestige) of their main brand.

Labeling: While the producer is secret, labels often highlight prestigious California AVAs like Oakville, Rutherford, St. Helena, or Howell Mountain to indicate quality.

Where to Find Them

Several California-based retailers specialize in sourcing and selling these "mystery" bottles:

Wine Access: Features dedicated series like Yesterday, The Big Ticket, Pas de Cheval, and Radio Silence. They frequently offer Napa Cabernet Sauvignons from "100-point winemakers".
The Vice Wine: Offers an NDA Club providing early access to special release "vault" wines.
Archival Wine: A Sonoma-based negociant focused on ultra-luxurious, limited-release NDA wines from legendary producers.
Topophilia Wine Co.: Known for "NDA Vineyard" releases, such as their 2023 NDA Chardonnay from the Sonoma Coast.
90+ Cellars: Their "Collectors Series" often features NDA-protected fruit from top districts like Stags Leap.

De Negoce Wine is a Prominent Example (Google AI)

de Négoce wine is a prominent example of an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) wine model, where high-end,, surplus, or "declassified" wine from renowned, undisclosed wineries is purchased in bulk, bottled under a different label, and sold at a significant discount (often 60–80% off). Founded by Cameron Hughes, the company specializes in sourcing these wines directly from top producers, keeping the original winery a secret to protect their brand and market price.

Key Details About De Negoce and NDA Wines:

The Model: De Negoce buys already produced ("bulk") wine from top-tier wineries that cannot sell all their production, allowing them to monetize excess without devaluing their primary brand.

Quality: While often touted as "same wine, different label," these wines can be barrels that didn't make the final cut for the high-end label, or simply surplus from excellent vintages.

Transparency: While the specific vineyard is not disclosed, Cameron Hughes often provides detailed descriptions of the AVA (e.g., Napa Valley, Oakville) and sometimes hints at the origin, allowing consumers to make educated guesses.

Market Position: It is recognized as a top player in the "negotiant" or "secret label" market, offering premium, hidden-source wines directly to consumers.

Acquisition: In early 2024, de Négoce was acquired by Martin Ray Winery.
n short, if you are purchasing de Négoce, you are buying a top-tier wine that is legally restricted from being marketed under its original, premium name.









 
Clos Julien is a private label utilized by Moore Brothers Wine Company for a series of custom-bottled, high-quality California wines. To protect relationships and secure top-tier juice at accessible prices, the exact origins of these wines are guarded by Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs). However, the retailer discloses that they are crafted from estate-grown fruit by storied, premium regional producers.

Moore Brothers: As always, the source of the fruit for the Clos Julien label is protected by an NDA. However, we can tell you that the wine was made with estate-grown fruit by one of Sonoma’s storied producers and comes from vineyards in the coolest parts of the Russian River Valley.


 
Out-Take Wine Company is a highly sought-after, non-disclosure agreement (NDA) private label that sources excess, world-class juice directly from prestigious California estates to sell at a fraction of their standard retail prices. Because these wines originate from ultra-premium vineyards—where regular label bottles command anywhere from $75 to over $110—the true source estate remains confidential to protect the primary brand's market value (Google AI).
 
Moore Brothers:  
 
The Out-Take Anderson Valley Pinot Noir comes from a steep, gravelly hillside to the west of the town of Philo, overlooking the Anderson Valley and Navarro River. The tiny berries were fermented in open-top containers with regular punch-downs, before being aged for 17 months in oak barrels (40% of which were new). In the glass, the wine is a saturated crimson, which cools to bright fuchsia at the edge. Fresh aromas of red fruit and spices, including black cherries, wild strawberries, freestone plums, alternate with allspice, nutmeg, and cardamom as the nose evolves over time. On the palate, the wine is opulent, juicy, and succulent, at the same time nimble, layered, and nuanced, with a sweet core of spiced red fruit flavors that echoes the nose, and lingers through a long, refreshing, very elegant finish. 
 
Here is a label that couldn’t be possible without a long-time personal relationship with the winemaker, whose name graces the labels of some of the most sought after Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays grown in California’s Russian River Valley. He’s a hands-on producer, who’s always preferred the winery to the business office, satisfied that the wines have been sold without too much effort, to selected restaurants, and his mailing list of enthusiasts and collectors. But the excellent 2023 and 2024 vintages were both so prolific that he’s found he has more wine than his selected customers can buy. So we asked, and he was glad to offer us a few barrels each of his succulent, honed single-vineyard Pinot Noirs, which he bottled under this alternate label, at his cost of production. Naturally, we can’t reveal more.
 





 
Fiancetto is a boutique Napa Valley wine label primarily focused on producing high-quality Cabernet Sauvignon, often with fruit sourced from premium regions like the Stags Leap District and Howell Mountain. Crafted by winemaker Ry Richards, these wines are noted for their rich, dark fruit flavors and balanced, often tannic structure, sometimes with gravelly loam influences.
Longtime customers may remember the blockbuster Cabernets made by Ry Richards, which have included some of the most expressive, accessible, and seriously delicious Napa Valley wines ever offered at Moore Brothers. Ry is Phil Titus's right hand man at Chappelet, the iconic Pritchard Hill estate, so it’s no surprise that his network includes connections at some of the region’s top addresses. Which means that in generous vintages, when the supply of fruit from these estates exceeds their capacity, he's quick to purchase their excess grapes and craft small lots of seriously high-pedigree wines.



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