| Country: | United States |
| Regions: | California California (Napa) |
| Winery: | Mount Veeder |
| Grape Type: | Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Vintage: | 2021 |
| Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
Mount Veeder Winery Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 2% Malbec, 1% Cabernet Franc.
The Mount Veeder Winery Cabernet Sauvignon is a deep ruby color. Aromas of black plum, blackberry, fig and ripe cherry, framed by toasted oak and caramel. A hint of dried herb and floral notes. The concentrated fruit flavors and integrated tannins introduce a rich, full-body structure. Sweet fruit is balanced with acidity and savory notes of leather and wet stone, ending with a lengthy finish of dark berry, baking spice, and mocha.
Crafted in celebration of our 50th anniversary, the 2023 Mount Veeder Winery Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is thoughtfully sourced from premier vineyards across Napa Valley, including fruit from our mountain estate. Complex without being cumbersome, this wine has successfully captured the characteristics of the growing season with its intense aromatics and lively acidity.
This vintage reflects our good fortune in working with growers who share our commitment to quality, and we look forward to strengthening these relationships to ensure consistently exceptional wines year after year. Our final blend includes a portion (11%) hailing from our Mount Veeder vineyards, helping link the Napa Valley bottling to the storied past of Mount Veeder Winery.
Review:
-Wine Spectator 93 Points
-James Suckling 94 Points
Robert Mondavi Winery Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, 2.5% Petit Verdot, 2% Merlot, 1.5% Malbec.
Aromas of plum, blackberry, fig, black tea leaf, subtle vanilla notes, sage, and tarragon. Layers of ripe dark fruit, baking spice, toast, and vanilla. Rich and juicy with a pretty structure and fine, well-integrated tannins.
Reviews:
Intense blackberries and black cherries on the nose lead to vivid focused cherries, blueberries and minty, spicy accents on the palate. Firm in tannins and fresh with good acidity, this outstanding wine is well-balanced.
-James Suckling 94 Points
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville is almost all from To Kalon. Dark blue/purplish fruit, lavender, mocha and licorice all build nicely in the glass.
-Vinous 94 Points
Matthews Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley is made from 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15%Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, 1% Malbec.
The 2021 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is deep ruby in the glass with purple hues. The rich bouquet of spiced black plum and cocoa nib are balanced with aromas of fresh earth and crushed flint. Intense and opulent flavors of ripe blackberry, cedar, mocha, and black currant coat the broad and balanced palate and the ripe tannin creates a perfect frame for the lush fruit expression. Cherry cordial and cola linger on the long, quenching finish.
Review:
-Decanter 94 Points
-Owen Bargreen 94 Points
-Wine Spectator 93 Points
-Vinous 93 Points
-Jeb Dunnuck 93 Points
Our 2021 Gaspare Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is made from our grapes grown on the BSEW Estate in the Gaspare Vineyard blocks. Our vineyard is located in the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley, which is known for it’s moderate growing climate which encourages consistent ripening throughout the growing season. Our 2021 vintage exhibits aromas of blackberry, brown sugar and cedar. It has a dark fruit flavor finished by powerful but elegant.
Review:
-Wine Independent 93 Points
-Decanter World Wine Awards 94 Points
100% single block Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged 20 months in 100% new French oak.
Place
This beautiful block sits on the lower section of the Red Mountain side of the vineyard. Featuring a perfect southwest aspect, it gets the maximum sun exposure for depth and concentration. The land itself is wind-blown loess covering an alluvial floodplain, dotted with indigenous sage.
Winemaker's Notes
Explosively and exotically nuanced aromas of crème de cassis, Himalayan blackberry, black roses, dried violets, pencil shavings, crushed volcanic rock, and liquefied river minerals. While extremely dense and concentrated, this wine has a lot of grace and poise on the palate. The finish of inky deep black fruits, richly refined oak tones, and exotic floral notes, is utterly bewitching. Leave it for 5-7 years if you can or decant well before drinking. This is a 30-year wine in the making.
Review:
Lastly, and a wine that stopped me in my tracks, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Block 47 might be the wine of the vintage. Revealing a dense purple hue as well as incredible aromatics of caramelized red and blue fruits, classy oak, lead pencil shavings, and a Latour-like sense of minerality, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, building tannins, a stacked mid-palate, and a great, great finish. I love its balance and purity, but I suspect it’s going to demand bottle age.
-Jeb Dunnuck 97-99 Points
Orin Swift Palermo 2021 is made predominantly from Cabernet Sauvignon, with small amounts of Merlot and Malbec.
Palermo is Dave Phinney's Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon under the Orin Swift label — sourced across the valley for a plush, dark, and expressive style with the bold personality that made Orin Swift a cult name.
Review:
100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 11 months in 34% new oak. Alluring aromas of ripe blackberry and black cherry fruit, spiced plums and nuances of clove and tobacco laced with vanilla. Full-bodied with absolutely riveting tannins that take centre stage, fueling a panoply of deep mid-palate dark berry fruits that build in stature and length on the finish, resolving in decadent waves of dark chocolate notes and fragrant red powdery spices.
-Decanter, 94 points
Mount Veeder Winery Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 2% Malbec, 1% Cabernet Franc.
The Mount Veeder Winery Cabernet Sauvignon is a deep ruby color. Aromas of black plum, blackberry, fig and ripe cherry, framed by toasted oak and caramel. A hint of dried herb and floral notes. The concentrated fruit flavors and integrated tannins introduce a rich, full-body structure. Sweet fruit is balanced with acidity and savory notes of leather and wet stone, ending with a lengthy finish of dark berry, baking spice, and mocha.
Review:
The nose is characterized by expressive aromas of baking spices, cedar, fig, and black cherry. On the palate, brooding red fruit takes center stage, while the wine remains soft and structured. Plush tannins, moderate acidity, and a lingering finish with hints of black tea and bramble round out this expertly crafted wine.
- 92 points, Robert Parker
Resembling a giant staircase, Mount Veeder's vines are planted on wide terraces of earth cut into steep slopes. At elevations of 1,000 to 1,600 feet, the microclimate is very different from the Napa Valley floor. Above the fog bank, exposed to the gentle morning sun and protected from the afternoon heat by the surrounding mountains, grapes on these vines ripen slowly and evenly. And in autumn, the mountain's cool days and warm nights mean extra hang time.
Our three ranches on Mount Veeder bask in the clear mountain sunshine high above Napa Valley. Estate ranches range in altitude from 1,000 to 1,600 feet in elevation to provide diverse microclimates for a wide variety of growing conditions and fruit profiles. All of the key Bordeaux grapes prosper, keeping with the tradition of being the first vineyard in California planted to all five Bordeaux varieties.
Michael and Arlene Bernstein were the first to plant grapevines on Mount Veeder in 1970. When 59 of their original Cabernet cuttings took root and flourished, they knew they were on to something. Encouraged by their friend and Napa legend Robert Mondavi, the Bernsteins established the first winery on Mount Veeder.
At the time, the Mount Veeder AVA did not exist. Undaunted, Michael and Arlene became the driving force behind its establishment. They later made history as the first vintners in Napa Valley to plant Petit Verdot, and the first to plant all five of the classic Bordeaux varieties on the same property.
Today, Mount Veeder Winery has three vineyard ranches nestled high in the Mayacamas Mountains, producing powerfully flavorful, concentrated wines that express their unique mountain terroir.
The goal at Mount Veeder Winery is to foster the natural balance of the vine and preserve the integrity of the land with a dedication to crafting wines that are the purest expression of this ruggedly beautiful site. Respecting the land and cultivating grapevines on Mount Veeder isn’t a simple task. The challenge lies in the ability not only to produce great wines, but also to improve the sustainability of the vineyards, prevent erosion, improve the quality of the runoff water, allow the deer and wildlife a place to live, and have the vineyard live in harmony with nature.
Many steps are taken in order to accomplish these goals, including a strict attention to erosion control. Following the contours of the land, the vines cannot be planted in long, straight rows; instead, the rows are laid out in shorter, curving pieces. Top soil is shallow and precious, so installation of extensive drainage systems is essential to protect against soil erosion. Water collector basins are created along the inside of the terraces, emptying into underground drainage pipes that run through the vineyards.
A cover crop of grasses and clover plus an organic mix of legumes that fix nitrogen levels and add organic matter back into the soil restore nutrients and help to control erosion. Organic composts also help maintain the vines’ nutritional balance. Compost is spread in the fall so that soil microbes and nutrients can penetrate the soil with the winter rains.
Gold, 92 points, LA Invitational
Gold, 91 points, Critics Challenge International Wine & Spirits Competition
Gold, Virginia Governor's Cup
Gold, Monticello Cup Wine Competition
Tasting notes:
Our 2017 Blanc de Blanc is made with 100% estate-grown Chardonnay. Aged for a minimum of 36 months on lees. Bright green apple and fresh citrus notes with layers of brioche and yeast complexity. An excellent balance of acidity, creamy mousse, and textures that persist with a long and elegant finish.
Pair with any special occasion. Make a Tuesday dinner special. Enjoy with mild cheeses, scallops, or serve as an aperitif.
Clos du Val Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 is made from Cabernet Sauvignon.
The Wine
This is Clos du Val's Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon — the house's classically styled, broadly sourced Cabernet drawn from vineyards across the valley floor and surrounding benches. The 2023 is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 5% Malbec and 4% Petit Verdot. It pours a deep ruby and opens with pure cassis and black cherry lifted by graphite, tobacco leaf, sweet brown spice and a whisper of cured herbs. Medium- to full-bodied and beautifully balanced, it is firm without ever turning hard, with fine-grained tannins, bright acidity and a long, silky, cocoa-dusted finish. A polished, food-friendly Napa Cabernet that drinks wonderfully now and will hold comfortably into the early 2030s — and, at this price, one of the genuine values in classic Napa Valley Cabernet.
Winery Info
Clos du Val was founded in 1972 in the Stags Leap District of Napa Valley by French-born winemaker Bernard Portet and American proprietor John Goelet. Portet grew up at Château Lafite-Rothschild, where his father was technical director, and he set out to make Napa wines in a restrained, ageworthy Bordeaux idiom rather than the bigger, riper California style of the day. The bet paid off almost at once: at the legendary 1976 Judgment of Paris, Clos du Val's debut 1972 Cabernet was one of only a handful of California reds chosen to stand against first-growth Bordeaux — and in the celebrated ten-year rematch of that tasting, it finished first of all the wines. More than fifty years on, Clos du Val remains one of Napa's benchmark houses, its wines prized for elegance, balance and a graceful capacity to age. The engraving of the Three Graces on the label is a nod to the harmony the family has always chased in the glass.
Review:
Refined and earth-driven, showing tightly wound black-fruit aromas. The palate is focused and pure with finely tuned tannins and a generous yet precise palate. A lovely wine to drink now or cellar.
James Suckling, 94 Points