2013 Napa Valley: A First Look…
The 2013 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons and Cabernet-based reds continue to impress with a combination of richness and energy that is compelling. Although it is still quite early, the best 2013s are viscerally thrilling wines full of potential.
From the Vineyard to the Bottle
One of the things I enjoy most is following wines along their entire arc of development, from the vineyard to the bottle and then many years beyond in retrospective tastings. A few years ago I started visiting Napa Valley in the spring, as I wanted to get an early look at the prior year’s vintage. Unlike Bordeaux, where blends are put together by April for en primeur, in Napa Valley virtually none of the wines are blended by the spring. Many have not even been racked. Wines can be tasted from barrel in their separate components, variety by variety and often block by block. These tastings provide a level of insight that I find invaluable in making later assessments about vintages and specific wines. What follows are general notes on the 2013 vintage based on barrel tastings done in April, 2014.
2013 Vintage: Early Observations
I spent several weeks in Napa Valley during the 2013 harvest. The growing season was characterized by drought-like conditions and warm weather throughout the year. Harvest was early, but then two small, unexpected rain events relaxed things into mid-October at a number of estates. In most places, yields were lower than 2012, which was obvious and easy to observe just by spending time in the vineyards. The berry size was especially small in 2013. Most growers attribute the small berry size to warm weather and lack of rain in late May and early June, adding that irrigation compensated only to a small degree. Small berries mean high skin to juice ratios, which is generally favorable for intensity of flavor and structure. One of the unique attributes of the year is that even though the grapes were concentrated, the fruit retained good acidity and structure. The 2013s are deeply colored wines with superb depth and plenty of acidity to match. My first impression is that 2013 is shaping up to be more complex and interesting than 2012, a year with high yields and more than a few wines that are lacking in concentration and depth.
Experience the 2013 Harvest in Multimedia
For more on 2013 growing season and harvest, readers might enjoy videos shot at Beaulieu Vineyard, Bevan, Colgin, Futo, Hourglass, Kapcsandy, Kongsgaard, Robert Mondavi, Montelena, Opus One, Ovid, Pahlmeyer, Joseph Phelps, Screaming Eagle, Spottswoode, and Turley last fall.
Ongoing Coverage of Napa Valley
My goal is to bring readers the most comprehensive and timely coverage of Napa Valley wines available anywhere, starting with first impressions of the new vintage. In the spirit of our ongoing commitment to revisiting older, reference-point wines, we will publish comprehensive verticals of Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignon and Dalla Valle Maya in the next few weeks. Reviews of the 2012s from bottle and 2013s from barrel will follow this fall. There may also be a few surprises along the way…
Abreu
Cabernet Sauvignon at Madrona Ranch, St. Helena, fall 2013
Effortless. That is what comes to mind when I think of Abreu. Winemaker Brad Grimes is a natural, like the kid you went to high school with who never studied yet got the best grades. Everything is intuitive. This is the only cellar in Napa Valley I know of where wines in barrel are subdivided by lots that correspond to pick dates. Fruit is harvested when it is ripe, regardless of variety, which means all of the lots are co-fermentations. Not surprisingly, co-fermentation is an approach that is beginning to gain traction in other cellars as well. The early blending of grapes allows for an amalgamation of flavors and textures that is quite different from what is achievable through blending later, although naturally that comes at the expense of flexibility. In the 2013 vintage there are a total of 17 separate picks, all of which I was able to sample.
We start with Cappella, always the most open and supple of the Abreu wines. I particularly like the lots with high percentages of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. There are seven picks of Madrona Ranch, each of them incredibly distinctive. Here, too, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot play important roles. In my opinion, the Howell Mountain is the most improved wine at Abreu. There is a level of richness here that is not found in the other Abreu wines. Specifically, the lots with a high percentage of Malbec are magnificent. Thorevilos is the most structured wine in the range. As we move through a series of four picks the tannins become nearly buried by the sheer richness of the fruit. So far, 2013 is shaping up to be an epic vintage at Abreu.
Blankiet Estate
