Vintage Retrospective: The 1997 Napa Valley Cabernets
BY STEPHEN TANZER |
“A huge crop of grapes, from a summer with enough sunshine to ripen nearly all of them” was my original description of this classic warm vintage for Napa Valley Cabernet. Most 1997s were opulent and seductive early on, with noteworthy balance, sweetness of fruit and plush tannins. Naturally, the anti-joy division immediately predicted that they couldn’t possibly last.
Admittedly, the wineries that provided samples for my group tasting of ‘97s this spring at Napa Valley Vintners in St. Helena were a group self-selected for quality. (Surely, many wineries declined to submit samples because their ‘97s are fading, but there were also others that simply had no remaining stocks.) And the wines I was able to taste came from what I assume was consistently careful storage, probably moved no more than once or twice—if at all—over the years. But with the exception of about a dozen wines that did not make my cut for 87 points, virtually all of the 50+ bottles I tasted were still full of life, and there’s no rush to drink the better examples. In retrospect, the vintage simply had too much stuffing and ripeness not to reward aging, especially from producers who took steps to keep yields reasonable.
The Spottswoode Cellar
The Growing Season and Harvest of 1997
Heavy rainfall in January was followed by freakishly low precipitation totals and warmer than normal temperatures during the late winter and spring. Soils were warm and dry by the end of February, which triggered a very early budbreak, nearly a month ahead of normal for the time. The flowering was nearly as precocious – by mid-May even for Cabernet – and the fruit set was copious, setting the stage for a large harvest. June, July and August were then quite temperate, with the notable exception of a sharp heat spike in early August. It was a summer with less fog than usual, making for long, sunny days.
For a year with wall-to-wall sunshine and a very early harvest, the 1997 Napa Valley Cabernets are surprisingly classic in style. The better wines have aged beautifully on their sheer strength of material and balance, and often show striking aromatic complexity, not to mention uncanny retention of fresh fruit. Some of the best ‘97s are from higher-altitude vineyards that enjoyed extra hang time owing to cooler afternoon temperatures and yielded more structured wines.
