The 2021 Vintage in Napa Valley: Rising From the Ashes
The 2020 vintage in Napa Valley (and much of the entire West Coast) was one of the most challenging, and oftentimes traumatic, wine vintages of a generation. The world was reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, and, as we all struggled to navigate lockdowns, masks, social distancing, and the “new normal,”grape vines kept on growing. Winemakers scrambled to prepare for the upcoming harvest under working conditions never before experienced and with major disruptions to global supply chains also impacting the industry critically. And then, in the middle of August, when it seemed like things couldn’t get much worse, the world burst into flames. 2020 saw over 9000 recorded wildfires in California with 4.3 million acres burned. Anyone who lived through those eerie orange skies will likely never forget them. Then to add insult to injury, in September the Glass Fire tore through Napa Valley compounding an already impacted vintage. Many wineries opted to cut their losses, claim crop insurance, and not harvest a single grape. Others made wine, declassified it, bulked it out to anyone willing to pay even the lowest of prices. A few others, quite miraculously, made really lovely wines with very little-to-no-smoke impact. There are numerous 2020 Napa wines that I have no problem recommending that have turned out to be beautiful wines with no sign of smoke impact—Turnbull, Spottswoode, Quintessa, Cathiard, Frog’s Leap, Localism to name a few, all made excellent wines.
But regardless of decisions made during those very testing weeks and months during late 2020, just about everyone was ready for a new year and hopefully a less chaotic, less challenging vintage in almost every aspect. And thankfully, besides some largely drought-related low yields, 2021 delivered exactly what was needed. The year unfolded beautifully with a moderate growing season with minimal heat events and a long, stable weather pattern extended well into October. Despite another round of devastating fires in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Napa vineyards were spared any negative impacts from wildfires in 2021. The long, even growing season and naturally low yields produced wines with very intense aromas and flavors. Small berries meant high skin-to-juice ratios lending powerful tannin structure to the wines, and a relatively cool fall allowed the fruit to retain vibrant acidity. Many wineries also shortened elevage (time in barrel) to get the 2021s to market a little sooner than normal, and I believe that has further emphasized the freshness, vibrancy, and purity of fruit in the wines. All in all, 2021 is potentially an exceptional vintage; its only downside is limited availability due to low yields and the giant void left in the market from many wineries deciding not to produce any red wines in 2020. It's still fairly early days in the 2021 release cycle, but the wines that have already hit the market are showing this is potentially a vintage for the ages.
Clos du Val.
Winemaker Carmel Greenberg is making exceptional wines at Napa’s Clos du Val.
2021 Clos du Val Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon $49.95
A visit to Clos du Val earlier this year really opened my eyes to exciting things happening at this longtime Napa stalwart. 2021 was the first vintage made vine-to-bottle by winemaker Carmel Greenberg. Originally from Tel Aviv, Israel, Carmel’s resume includes graduating from UC Davis before stints at Cakebread, Buccella, and, most recently, five years as Assistant Winemaker at Dominus. The wines at Clos du Val have always been excellent, but an extra level of elegance and refinement is striking when tasting Carmel’s wines. The 2021 Napa Cab comes mostly from their Yountville estate property, River Bend Vineyard. A lifted nose of lavender, dried herbs, ripe red berries. The palate shows more dark red fruits, red currants, elderberry, black raspberry, hints of cigar box, and loamy earth. Medium bodied, super fine tannins, lifted and vibrant with a fantastically pure core of fruit.
2021 Faust Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon $49.95
Faust Cab has long been one of the most consistent and exceptional values in Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, and the 2021 is excellent! The vast majority of this wine comes from Faust’s beautiful organically certified estate property in the heart of Coombsville. The rocky, volcanic soils and cool, windy climate here at the very southern end of the valley combine to produce distinctive, powerful Cabernet. The nose has smoldering cassis and black cherry, crushed rock, cedar and hits of leather. The wine is bright and focused with a graphite mineral core, lithe tannins, lovely natural acidity and is nicely framed with classy oak spice. Drinks well above its price point and a total sleeper for laying down 15-20 years.
Sullenger Vineyard is the home block of the Nickel & Nickel winery in Oakville.
2021 Nickel & Nickel "John C. Sullenger Vineyard" Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon $99.95 95-96JS
Each year I get to meet with Terrie from Nickel & Nickel and taste through their consistently excellent lineup of single vineyard Cabs. The tasting really helps me get a grasp on the vintage across many sub-AVAs of the valley as the Nickel & Nickel have a seriously epic range of wines that cover the length and breadth of the region. The Sullenger Vineyard is the home block from the winery right of HWY29 in the heart of Oakville. Named for the homesteader who settled the land in the 1880s. Classic gravelly bale loam soils produce a rich and luxurious Cabernet that has made Oakville famous the world over. Exotic red and black fruit, cherry, plum, blackberry, cigar box elements, dusty earth, ripe tannins, and juicy acidity carry all the richness beautifully.
2021 Realm "The Bard" Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon $174.95 97TWI
After not making any red wines in 2020, we’re thrilled to have some Realm wines back in stock. The wines at Realm are the epitome of no-expense-spared, maniacal-attention-to-detail, micro-lot winemaking. Fruit comes from their own exceptional estate holdings in Stag’s Leap and Houyi on Pritchard Hill, plus a list of the most highly regarded growers in the valley: Blair, Beckstoffer To Kalon, Beckstoffer Bourn, Larkmead, Farella, and Bettinelli Upper Range. At a recent visit to Realm, the 2021 Bard was showing beautifully! In fact it was perhaps even more expressive than some of their other higher-end wines designed for extended aging. If you're looking to see what all the fuss is about with Realm, The Bard is the perfect peek behind the curtain.