2009 Rive Droite Paradise Hills Vineyard

Claude and Katherine Blankiet have spared no expense in their goal to make world-class wines, and it shows in these magnificent new releases. One of the biggest changes at Blankiet over the last few years has been the creation of a second wine, Prince of Hearts, first released with the 2008 vintage. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that the creation of a second label is one of the main reasons quality has been so exceptional here, especially in the last few years, none of which has been easy. Prince of Hearts, with its production between 600-1,000 cases, is all or mostly juice that used to end up in the Rive Droite and Proprietary Red. Readers who want to learn more about Blankiet might like to take a look at my videos of the 2011 and 2012 harvests.

This estate in the western hills of Yountville, above Dominus, has benefitted from the string of recent cooler years. But there have also been significant steps taken to ensure phenolic ripeness before potential alcohol levels get too high and acidity too low. According to winemaker Denis Malbec, the team leaves a fuller canopy to slow down ripening and is able to pick later with more freshness, without raisining of the grapes (he referred to this as "keeping the vines greener". The Blankiets are also using more water in the vineyard, to help the wines get through the hottest, driest spells. Blankiet's Prince of Hearts bottling is blended early, with the objective of making a fresh and fruity style of wine, noted proprietor Claude Blankiet, but additional barrels from the estate's top lots are also declassified into this cuvee later on. The 2009 release of this wine is a big success.

Claude and Katherine Blankiet have refined their approach over the last few years. Under the direction of Denis Malbec, the vines are now being farmed with the goal of keeping a more robust canopy in an approach that seeks to stress the vines less than has been the case in the recent past. In the cellar, Malbec is focusing on longer macerations and gentler extractions. He is also aging the component wines separately for a longer period of time, as opposed to Michel Rolland's approach, which was to create the blends earlier. It will be fascinating to see what develops here. These hillside vineyards are some of the most pristine in the Valley. Readers who want to learn more about Blankiet Estate may want to take a look at my video interview with Claude Blankiet and Denis Malbec.

On a whim, I asked Claude Blankiet what was the most difficult vintage he has yet faced in Napa Valley, figuring he'd say 2000 (1999 was his first commercial release). He named 2010 without hesitation. That's a wine to look at next year, but his comment should convey that this was a tricky growing season for much of Napa Valley. According to winemaker Denis Malbec, who took over here in early 2010, vintage 2009 was also a challenging season. "Waiting was the key, and a lot of people picked too early," in some cases because they were afraid of the heavy rain coming on October 12. "But we were able to make wines with precision and good ripe tannins." Malbec made the final 2009 blends with the team at Blankiet, and he even tweaked the 2008s shortly before bottling. He began using some press wine in 2008, as he felt it brought more volume and coated the wines' tannins.