2015 Rive Droite Paradise Hills Vineyard

I was blown away by the wines I tasted with Claude and Katherine Blankiet, and their new winemaker, Graeme MacDonald. The late Denis Malbec, along with his wife, May-Britt, did so much to dial back some of the excesses of the estate's earlier wines. In just his first vintage, MacDonald has taken over a very delicate situation and put his personal stamp on the wines. One of MacDonald's first decisions was to bottle the 2015s, which were made by Malbec, about two months earlier than had been the norm previously. The shorter amount of time in barrel seems to give these wines quite a bit more fruit intensity and fewer oak influences. The 2016s, MacDonald's first vintage from start to finish, are superb and point to a bright future. MacDonald opted for a more reductive approach to winemaking, which means in essence exposing the wines to less air during vinification and aging. Ultimately, though, the credit for these wines lies with the Blankiets. They hired a young, emerging winemaker to take over from a veteran, and have let him have full reign in the vineyards and cellar. Very few owners are willing to take that level of risk, but as the saying goes "no guts, no glory." There is plenty of both guts and glory in these magnificent, statuesque wines from Blankiet.

Tasting the bottled 2014s at Blankiet was as a bittersweet experience, as it is the last vintage Denis Malbec made from start to finish. Malbec passed away a few months before the 2014s were bottled, but the blends were finished by then. These are wines I have followed literally since the harvest. The wines were beautifully expressive when I tasted them in the spring and then fall of 2015, but they were at their very best this past spring, just prior to bottling. As is the case at many properties, the 2014s at Blankiet have closed down considerably post-bottling (especially the Cabernet-based wines) and are likely to require at least a few years to settle down. The embryonic 2015s point to another brilliant vintage here, although yields are down close to 50%. Following Malbec's passing, Claude and Katherine Blankiet have brought on Graeme MacDonald as winemaker, a courageous and forward-thinking choice that shows how committed the Blankiets are to the future. For his part, MacDonald is one of the most talented and passionate winemakers of his generation. I have no doubt he will coax every bit of magic out of Blankiet's Paradise Hills Vineyard, which is one of the most diverse and nuanced sites in all of Napa Valley. In recent years, these wines have leaned more towards finesse than power. One of the developments at Blankiet is a reduction of new oak with the 2014 vintage. The 2015s were started by Malbec, but will be blended and bottled under MacDonald's oversight, while the 2016 will be the first vintage made entirely by MacDonald. Needless to say, it will be fascinating to see how things develop at Blankiet over the coming years.