2009 Prince of Hearts

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.

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.