Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Part 2:

Benchland & Valley Floor

For the Napa Valley Mountain vs Valley Floor offer Part One, we looked at wines produced on mountain vineyards.  We are now discussing vineyards on the valley floor/benchlands.

Valley floor and benchland vineyards tend to be more fertile, producing broader and more powerful wines packed with ripe black and red fruit with silky tannins.  Rutherford, Oakville and Stag's Leap are examples of valley floor and benchland vineyards. Mountain vineyards, on the other hand, with their thinner soils tend more toward wines with greater purity of fruit expression, wines that are tighter, fresher and often more perfumed.

It is widely thought in Napa Valley that mountain wines have greater structure — higher acidity and firmer tannins.  However, the fog that hangs over the valley floor at night and late into the morning helps the valley floor grapes retain greater natural acidity as the vineyards are actually cooler than the mountain vineyards that sit above the fog line. Valley floor wines classically have lower PH (higher acid).  It was widely agreed that mountain tannins, thanks to smaller berry size require more taming, both in the winery and the bottle while valley floor wines are more approachable early, in many cases have lower tannins and thanks to the low PH, have the ability to age just as well.

Many feel the hillside wines have better integration of their tannins so that, while brooding, their intensity they become well-harmonized with the rest of the wine’s components. Generally you get darker fruits and greater salinity and savories on the hillside wines.  With the valley floor you get more red fruit and candied qualities.

The two styles can be distinguished by their structural differences.  The fruit from the valley envelops the tannin structure, while the mountain tannins are truly different. Valley wines are more flattering, more approachable and friendly.

As a wine consumer should you really be conflicted about the differences in Valley vs Mountain?  Since both make outstanding wines, I believe it should be your preference of style, the quality of the producer and the occasion that should go into your decision making.

My first rule of thumb is always the producer.  Great wineries make great wines because they source the best fruit and make the commitment to use state of the art production methods and employ the best winemakers that have the ability to consistently deliver. 

The second rule is your preference.  Are you a Mountain or valley floor lover…left bank or right bank…Northern Rhone vs the Southern Rhone?  Do you prefer fruit over structure?  Many of you know where you stand on these questions, for others it’s the excitement of discovery. 

Lastly, occasion is a topic that is open to personal interpretation.  I always consider which wine I will consume based on how I feel, time of day, whom I am with and what I am eating…many factors to consider.  

These two offers, while not necessarily answering these questions for everyone…are a fun place to start. 

The Wines

Fisher Coach Insignia 2012
Located in the heart of Calistoga, these Estate vineyards are planted in well-drained alluvial, sedimentary soils alongside Simmons Canyon Creek, which flows west from the Calistoga Palisades to the Napa River.  The wine shows opulent aromas of high toned fresh raspberry and ripe plum mingle with rose petal and a hint of forest floor. The palate is juicy on entry yielding a very polished mid palate with fine grain well layered tannins. Flavors of blackberry and dark cherry, along with tobacco leaf, anise and toasty caramel, espresso bean oak elements unite, culminating with a supple finish and striking minerality.

Joseph Phelps 2013
The 2013 growing season proved to be an excellent year in Napa Valley. It was slightly warmer than 2012, resulting in an overall earlier growing season. Lower than normal rainfall paired with moderate spring weather brought with it early bud break and bloom. Sunny skies throughout the summer months led to early veraison and harvest. Warm daytime temperatures followed by cool nights prior to harvest produced evenly ripened fruit with ideal hang time. There is great purity of fruit in the 2013 wines, good structure and overall an excellent winegrowers vintage.

This 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon showcases classic Cabernet aromas of blackberry and blueberry with hints of baking spices and tobacco followed by layers of dark berries, graphite and cocoa powder on the palate. Full-bodied and dense with beautifully integrated oak and sweet tannins throughout the lingering finish.
 
Boich Family Cellars, Beckstoffer George III  2014
Produced from grapes grown in a historic vineyard, made famous by André Tchelistcheff and farmed by Andy Beckstoffer, this Rutherford vineyard produces outstanding fruit sourced only by the best Napa wineries.

The Boich GIII is enveloped in dense aromas of black cherry, sarsaparilla and anise.  This expansive Rutherford Cabernet highlights its layers of fruit with a slight minerality on the nose.  Mouth coating and dense the George III Cabernet saturates the palate in a hedonistic mélange with blackberry jam, sweet herb and maple with a long, lasting finish that extends well past a minute.

Freemark Abbey, Rutherford  2012
With great complexity, this Rutherford Cabernet expresses aromas of black fruit, Bing cherry, dark chocolate, red raspberry, green olive, tobacco, all integrated with the spicy sweetness of oak, cedar, cinnamon, clove and a hint of black pepper. The body is very full with a soft entry, coupled with dark cherry/berry flavors that develop with great depth.

The wine is a blend of three Rutherford vineyards, Bosche, Sycamore and Red Barn Ranch, each vineyard contributing different aromas and flavors to the final blend.

Silver Oak Cellars, 2011
Silver Oaks Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is an elegant representation of Napa Valley Cabernet. It presents an opaque garnet hue in the glass and reveals aromas of sandalwood and roasted meats. Flavors of vanilla, coffee beans and raspberries are buttressed by dusty tannins, firm acidity and a mouth-coating texture. Given proper cellaring, this wine should provide drinking pleasure through 2029.

The Offer

Fisher Coach Insignia 2012
$95

Joseph Phelps 2013
$56

Boich Family Cellars, Beckstoffer George III  2014
$125

Freemark Abbey 2012
$64

Silver Oak Cellars, 2011
$100

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