Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Part 1:
Taking the High Ground
Napa Valley is a great place to compare mountain wines versus valley floor wines because Cabernet Sauvignon is the preeminent grape both on the valley floor and the mountains that rim the valley: Mount Veeder, Spring Mountain, Diamond Mountain, Howell Mountain, Oakville Grade and Atlas Peak. Each of the mountains produces a distinct sort of wine.
As the land gently rises for several hundred feet up the base of the Mayacamas and Vaca mountain ranges from the valley floor, the hillsides turn steeper and rockier. These vineyards have rockier soils and better water drainage than those on a valley floor. They tend to produce smaller grapes with relatively less juice and relatively more skin. All of a wine's color, all of its tannin and much of its flavor complexity comes from the skin, so mountain vineyards tend to produce more intense, deeply colored and more structured wines. It's a difference that you'll see not just in California but all over the globe.
Mountain vineyards are also more difficult to farm. It's harder work to establish them and they're lower yielding. But that's only part of what sets these vineyards apart. Hillside vineyards often have more varied soils as well as varying altitudes and orientations toward the sun. At higher altitudes the daytime temperatures are cooler, which changes the ripening pattern.
Mountain vineyards have a different climatic rhythm. Bud break is almost always later, and that can only be because it's cooler. During the rest of the growing season the mountain vines slowly catch up to the valley floor. Though the mountains are cooler during the day, they get more early sun because they are above the fog line. In the afternoon the heat from the valley floor begins to creep up the hillsides. There's an intense depth to the wines that you taste off the mountains. There's a brightness to the fruit and there's a bit more going on.
Mountain vineyards offer many micro-climates. Even small hillside vineyards can have a mix of soil types and elevations, micro-climates and sun exposures that add varied flavors and textures, and that can result in very complex wines because those various patches must be farmed differently, resulting in quirky, unique wines. It's more work, but I think what you get from that is the wine ... is going to have its own thumbprint, its own character.
One winemaker uses the analogy that “It's almost like men versus women. Mountain wines are bigger, with more alcohol and more tannin. Valley floor wines are softer and a little rounder, more feminine. But the world needs both men and women to continue."
There was recently a tasting held in Napa to see if people could really tell the difference between valley floor versus mountain grown wines. Their results were inconclusive however, it should be noted that more than half of Wine & Spirits Magazine's top nine American Cabernets last year came from Napa mountain vineyards. When you consider that mountain Cabernets comprise a small minority of Napa's total Cabernet production, those figures are telling. And mountain-grown wines have been named Wines of the Year at Connoisseur's Guide to California Wines for two years running. Coincidence?
This wine offer is all about wines from Mountain Vineyards in Napa Valley. Our next offer will feature wines from benchland and valley floor vineyards. You be the judge.
The Wines
Spring Mountain:
Vineyard 7&8 Estate, 2010
A library release with some age, the 2010 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon has a complex bouquet of blackberry, blueberry and red cherry compote, followed by notes of sweet tobacco, black tea and crème de cassis. Beautiful layers of smoke, white pepper and crushed stone carry through the nose and palate. The creamy texture and mature, silky tannins provide a true example of Spring Mountain’s mix of power and elegance. A truly remarkable wine crafted to age for 25+ years or more!
95 points—Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate
Pritchard Hill:
Gandona Estate, “Encosta”, 2012
Gandona Estate is a new winery from famed Napa Winemaker and consultant Philippe Melka. Encosta ("slope") Cabernet Sauvignon originates from the steeply terraced hillsides of Gandona Estate and its terra cotta-colored, volcanic soil. The 2011 vintage is a wine celebrating the very soul of hillside fruit capturing the essence of the vine's interaction with earth and sun.
The 2012 vintage offers bright and dynamic aromas of raspberries and red cherries that are superimposed with cardamom, nutmeg, caramel and honeysuckle. Rich milk chocolate, pomegranate, framboise, as well burnt sugar and rhubarb, are seamlessly layered onto fine-grained tannins. 98% Cabernet Sauvignon; 2% Petit Verdot. Not yet rated.
Diamond Mountain:
32 Winds, 2009
This wine is made from wonderful single vineyard fruit sourced on Diamond Mountain. The vineyard is over 30 years old and consequently does not produce a high volume of fruit; instead the lower yielding vines produce much more concentrated, powerful intense fruit, exactly what you need for a great cabernet.
The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon displays flavors and aromas of black cherries, espresso, black currants, Cassis and dark cocoa. It has fine, well integrated tannins, a great mineral backbone and nice bright acidity.
Oakville Grade:
Audacieux 2013
In French, “audacieux” means bold, courageous, and daring. This new release from Ron Allen and gifted winemaker Chris Taddei is all that and more! Made with premiere Cabernet Sauvignon grapes grown on a rugged hillside of Oakville in Napa Valley, this young vibrant wine opens with seductive aromas of ripe berries, mountain herbs, chocolate ganache, and cedar. The favors are deep and robust briary blackberry, ripe blueberry, cassis, dark plum, fresh currants, sage, and a nice balance of fine French oak, chewy tannins, and rich, round mouthfeel lead to a long, lingering finish. I’ll admit, I went back to taste the wine again days later and was impressed by the way it open up once the cork was originally pulled. Point is, no matter if you are drinking this Cabernet Sauvignon when it’s young or after aging it for 7-10 years in the cellar, rest assured that there will be power and finesse waiting for you in each bottle of this fine limited production wine. 97 Points-Chris Sawyer
Howell Mountain, 2012
CADE Estate Cabernet
"Gloriously pure notes of mulberry, graphite, blackberry and blueberry soar from the glass and cascade over the palate. The wine is full-bodied, there is nary a hard edge to be found in this opulent, velvety texture, pure, rich, stunning Cabernet Sauvignon. It finishes impressively, and the wine is capable of lasting 15-20 years, although it’s certainly accessible now."
94 points - Robert Parker
Mount Veeder: Mt. Brave, 2012
A big, explosive wine, the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder hits the palate with serious intensity and pure power. Rich, deep and authoritative in personality, the 2013 speaks with real presence. There is plenty of mountain tannin to ensure many years of fine drinking. This is the darkest and most powerful of the Mt. Brave cabs to date.
The 2013 Mt. Brave Cabernet Sauvignon exhibits typical Mount Veeder cabernet characteristics of blueberry, with floral notes and minerality. Followed by a bit of raspberry and touch of herb, this wine has great texture and very approachable mountain tannins.
The Offer
Spring Mountain, Vineyard 7&8 Estate, 2010
$160
Pritchard Hill, Gandona Estate, “Encosta”, 2012
$95
Diamond Mountain, 32 Winds, 2009
$59
Oakville Grade, Audacieux 2013
$135
Howell Mountain, Cade Estate Cabernet 2012
$88
Mount Veeder: Mt. Brave, 2012
$60
Ordering
For all questions and orders, contact Wine Director, Jeff McCarthy. Let us know if you would like your wine shipped or placed in your wine locker. Sales tax and appropriate shipping will be added to all orders. Allow 2-3 weeks for account processing and shipping. During extreme weather, wine orders may be held until it is safe to ship.
Jeff McCarthy, Wine Director
[email protected]
707.569.2906 |
