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BUYINGGUIDE
CALIFORNIA
The 2013 vintage in Napa Valley: Cabs and beyond
To Jean Hoefliger, winemaker of Alpha
Omega Winery in Rutherford, Napa Valley
is the most consistent climate he’s seen in
the world.
95
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Jarvis 2007 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
(Napa Valley). A designation used only
when a vintage deserves, this reserve is definitely
worthy. Almost a decade after bottling, it offers an
intensity of chocolate, cinnamon and clove against
soft, mellowed and structured tannin. Dusty sage
and a bramble of blackberry complete the picture.
It may have another five to seven years of beauty left
within, but why wait? —V.B.
abv: 14.5% Price: $260
95
It’s true. The climate in Northern California
has been remarkably consistent and generous
over the last several years. The stretch of vintages
from 2012 through 2016
is a run of warm, relatively calm
grape-growing years the likes
of which even longtime Napans
say they’ve never seen before.
Many winemakers will tell
you the 2013 vintage is particularly
stunning, though not
always immediately approachable.
Unlike 2012 and 2014,
2013 is a boldly structured, bigtannin
year, speaking as much
to California’s tenacious drought as the warmth
of the sun.
So far, the highest scoring wines tend to
come from the southern end of the Napa Valley,
up through the Oakville and Stags Leap District
AVAs. This may be because they were able to
retain more acidity in the warm, dry year and
Ramey 2013 Pedregal Vineyard Cabernet
Sauvignon (Oakville). This wine was co-fermented
with 15% Petit Verdot from the same rocky,
hillside site. The two varieties marry seamlessly
in the glass, exuding a distinct perfume of forest
mushroom and violet. Though pronounced in structure
the wine is also soft and round, with a dotting
Many winemakers
will tell you the
2013 vintage
is particularly
stunning, though not
always immediately
approachable.
feel more pleasurably balanced in their youth.
That said, my top-rated Cabernet from the
vintage up to now is from Spottswoode (98
points), an estate-grown beauty from St. Helena,
one of the warmest appellations of all. Despite
concentrated fruit and ample tannin, it retains
rose-garden grace. It should age well for decades.
of dried herb and a considerable length of clove and
dust. It’s rich, intense and memorable. —V.B.
abv: 14.5% Price: $200
94
B Cellars 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon (St. Helena).
This 100% varietal wine from the
Lewelling Vineyard is a blockbuster, providing a
showy demonstration of ripe richness that’s gorgeously
lush. Christmas plum pudding, clove and
cinnamon lurk behind a chalky underbelly of firm
tannin and black licorice, finishing fresh in the
glass. —V.B.
abv: 14.9% Price: $108
94
While 2012–2016 looks to
be a string of serious successes
for Napa Cabernet, other varieties
tell a similar tale. Merlot
makes its case in 2013 bottlings
from Venge Vineyards, La
Jota Vineyard and Pahlmeyer,
while Robert Biale Vineyards is
allowing Winemaker Tres Goetting
to try new things with old
vineyards, resulting in a lineup
of dialed-in single-site Zinfandels;
Biale’s 2013 Royal Punishers Petite Sirah
is also worth a look.
So don’t be shy about picking up all the
Napa reds from 2013 you can find—though they
may not be drinking at peak now, they show the
stuff that cellaring dreams are made of.
Cheers!
—Virginie Boone
Jada Vineyard & Winery 2014 Passing By
Cabernet Sauvignon (Paso Robles Willow
Creek District). For full review see page 4. Cellar
Selection.
abv: 15.5% Price: $65
94
Les Belles Collines 2013 Les Sommets Cabernet
Sauvignon (Napa Valley). For full review
see page 4.
abv: 14.6% Price: $90
94
Mattucci 2013 Bentley Ironworks Cabernet
Sauvignon (Paso Robles). So much is happening
on the nose and palate of this bottling that
it can hold one’s attention for hours. Rich aromas of
cola, cocoa, coffee, dred black cherry, oregano, black
pepper, dried herbs and slow-roasted beef lead into
a palate packed with peppercorn sauce, tangy dried
berries and hints of ancho chile-chocolate. After
wading through layers of herbs, the finish is minty.
Editors’ Choice. —M.K.
abv: 14.8% Price: $45
94
Pahlmeyer 2013 Red (Napa Valley). A powerfully
rich and concentrated Bordeauxstyle
blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon with
smaller percentages of four other Bordeaux varieties,
this wine presents itself as juicy and fresh on
entry, with high-toned sparks of cranberry, cherry
and cassis. It takes on more strength and structure
as it opens, suggesting its worth for the cellar. Hold
until 2023–2028. Cellar Selection. —V.B.
abv: 15.2% Price: $175
94
Ramey 2013 Annum Cabernet Sauvignon
(Napa Valley). This beautiful wine includes
9% Cabernet Franc that gives a lift of floral violet
and grainy cedar. Classic all around in its etchings
of coconut shavings, graphite, spice and dust, the
fruit is additionally savory in bright red currant and
a crunch of cassis, with an underpinning of soft,
succulent blackberry. —V.B.
abv: 14.5% Price: $100
93
Acumen 2013 Mountainside Cabernet Sauvignon
(Napa Valley). For full review see page
6. Editors’ Choice.
abv: 14% Price: $60
93
B Cellars 2013 Ehrlich Vineyard Cabernet
Sauvignon (Oakville). Perfumed in lavender
and sage, this vineyard-designate highlights wellcrafted
flavors of dried cherry and blueberry, the
texture soft and interwoven in spicy oak. A bite of
peppery tannin storms the lengthy finish, giving the
already full-bodied wine an extra hit of richness and
concentration. —V.B.
abv: 14.9% Price: $118
93
Bell 2013 Clone 337 Unfiltered Cabernet Sauvignon
(Rutherford). For full review see page
6. Cellar Selection.
abv: 14.5% Price: $160
93
Golden Triangle 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon
(Paso Robles Willow Creek District). For full
review see page 6. Cellar Selection.
abv: 15.1% Price: $70
Continued on page 23
2 | WINE ENTHUSIAST | MARCH 2017