Top California Cabernet 2015 wines: Full vintage report

A surprisingly uniform vintage across the region, with smaller volumes but exceptional quality if you know where to look. Linda Murphy selects the best wines following a series of tastings for Decanter magazine and Premium subscribers...

Nearly 650km separate California’s northernmost quality Cabernet Sauvignon region, Lake County, and Santa Barbara County’s Happy Canyon appellation in the far south. What are the chances of near-mirror vintage conditions throughout a state that is larger and more diverse than many countries?

The 2015 vintage

Well, in 2015 that chance was nearly 100%, with the vast majority of producers using very similar words to describe the vintage. Those words were: ‘early’, ‘one of the coolest Mays on record’, ‘fifth consecutive year of drought’, ‘low-yielding and low-case volumes’, ‘more labour required’, ‘meticulous sorting’.

Scroll down to see Linda’s top California Cabernet 2015 picks

While it’s not a year for accountants, winemakers are both giddy and relieved at the quality and concentration of their wines, which are now being released.

From north to south, California’s Cabernet Sauvignon producers faced similar conditions in 2015 and had virtually the same result: exceptional, concentrated and complex wines but with yield reductions of 10% to 60%. Because of the dearth of stocks, several wineries have already released 2016 Cabernets to keep the cash flowing.

Quick link See all of Linda’s 2015 Cabernet tasting notes & scores

A small number of 2015 wines reviewed separately by Elin McCoy have also been included in order to provide a wider selection of reviews

The bottom line? Impatient drinkers will enjoy these deeply fruited, flavour-packed, classically styled 2015s now. But put them away for a decade or more and be richly rewarded. Regardless, now is definitely the time to buy, before stocks run out.

‘We called 2015 a “zombie harvest” because it wouldn’t end’ – Sally Johnson, Pride Mountain Vineyard

Lake County

Napa Valley’s neighbour to the north has been steadily building a positive reputation for Cabernet Sauvignon in its Red Hills AVA.

Obsidian Ridge in particular has made focussed Cabernets with volcanic-soil-driven dark-fruit character and savouriness, despite the challenges of the area’s wildfires. Winemaker Alex Beloz says: ‘The 2015 valley fire, which scorched 30,756ha, began only a few miles south of our vineyard. The start of the fire coincided with our first day of harvest.

‘We were able to get our first load safely down the mountain, but were not allowed to re-enter for days. When we finally got the all-clear, we discovered that we had been upwind of all the smoke so our vines were unscathed.’

Napa Valley

‘It was a pretty good year until fruit set,’ recalled Chris Carpenter, winemaker for Jackson Family Wines’ La Jota, Lokoya, Mt Brave and Cardinale brands.

‘We got some rain and cool temperatures and lost about 30% of our crop then. But the rest of the season played out beautifully and the wine quality is outstanding. We just don’t have a lot of it.’

Carpenter’s Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are grown largely in the cooler, thin-soil vineyards in the elevated Diamond Mountain, Howell Mountain, Spring Mountain and Mt Veeder AVAs, where ripening comes late in the season.

Yet at Francis Ford Coppola’s Inglenook, in the warmer, flatter Rutherford AVA, winemaker Chris Phelps had all his Cabernet Sauvignon fruit in the cellar by 24 September. ‘For Rubicon and the Estate Cabernet, we’re looking for elegance, and while warm September weather had us finishing harvest early, the grapes didn’t suffer any dehydration.

‘The 2015s are a bit more opulent than we’d like, but they still have freshness. A splash of Merlot blended in the Rubicon gave us less extraction.’

John Conover, who oversees operations for Cade on Howell Mountain, PlumpJack Winery in Oakville and Odette Estate in Stags Leap District, produced a hedonistic style of Cabernet Sauvignon that is very popular in the US. ‘We had some issues, but the wines are pure, unctuous and give immediate satisfaction.’

Sonoma County

Pride Mountain Vineyards winemaker Sally Johnson has a unique perch in the Mayacamas Mountains that separate Sonoma and Napa counties. Her vineyards straddle this county line, with bottles labelled accordingly.

‘2015 had a little bit of everything,’ remembers Johnson. ‘Hail, drought, a cool, wet May and a fog-like cloud that stayed for two weeks. Hail and wind knocked clusters off the vines. But in the end the wines came out great, something in the middle of 2012’s softness and balance, and 2013’s tannic structure.

‘It was certainly a riper year than 2011, though we called 2015 a “zombie harvest” because it wouldn’t end. With uneven ripeness, we made numerous passes through the vineyards.’

Chris Louton of St Francis Winery & Vineyards in Sonoma Valley noted the light harvest in 2015, which began at a record-early date for the winery of 10 August. The result was smaller, looser clusters, he says, though the warm, consistent summer delivered healthy grapes, though at less-than-desirable quantities.

Santa Cruz Mountains

Late-spring storms and cool weather slashed yields here by 20% to 50%, yet quality didn’t seem to suffer. Eric Baugher, chief operating officer for Ridge Vineyards, reported that production of Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon and Estate Cabernet Sauvignon was down.

‘But what’s great about this vintage is the quality,’ he says. ‘It’s one of the finest I’ve seen in my lifetime at Ridge. Beautiful, intense flavours and aromas in the berries. No heat spikes during summer. The vines cruised through harvest.’

Paso Robles

On the Central Coast, it can be so hot in some vintages that, in the wrong hands, Cabernet Sauvignon can resemble Port – with alcohol levels to match. But 2015 was not such a year.

‘Drought and unseasonably cold, windy, cloudy weather in May greatly impacted berry set,’ explains Jeff Meier, president of J Lohr Vineyards & Winery. ‘In many respects, 2015 is reminiscent of 2004 in terms of crop size and warm growing season.

‘Fortunately, unlike 2004, the weather conditions during veraison were mild. Cabernet Sauvignon yields were down by as much as 60%, with other Bordeaux varieties down closer to 10%. One silver lining is the very high quality of reds. Colour densities are the highest I’ve seen in more than a decade,’ he adds.

Austin Hope, winemaker at Hope Family Wines, says: ‘We did see some slight drought stress on the vines and had to irrigate more than normal. The berries were a little smaller than usual and this resulted in more concentration in the wines, with higher skin-to-juice ratios.’

Santa Barbara County

This region is best known for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, given its cooling Pacific Ocean influence. Yet in the far-eastern AVA of Happy Canyon, Bordeaux varieties enjoy the warmer climate. For Tyler Thomas, who makes wines for Dierberg and Star Lane Vineyard, the only bad thing about the 2015 vintage was the cool spring and resultant poor fruit set.

‘We had clusters on the sorting table that already looked destemmed – literally 10 berries per cluster. That’s unfortunate for yields but isn’t a quality issue. Our production of Cabernet Sauvignon ended up about 40% of normal, yet the wines are thrilling and energetic with a fresh, coastal, sage herb note.’

Linda’s top 2015 California Cabernets:

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