Calistoga 2019: the top Cabernets from this Napa AVA
Volcanic soils and the largest diurnal temperature swings of all Napa Valley's 16 sub-AVAs mean Calistoga Cabernets are very distinctive. The wines from 2019 show excellent freshness, moderate alcohols and elegant tannins.
QUICK LINK 2019 Napa Cabernet: full vintage report and top-scoring wines
Because Calistoga is in the northernmost reaches of Napa Valley, at the foot of Mount St Helena and sandwiched between the Mayacamas and Vaca ranges, it is hotter in summer than most of the region’s other sub AVAs, but also cooler at night, thanks to breezes from the Russian River.
Scroll down for the top-scoring Calistoga 2019 Cabernets
Winemaker Matt Crafton of Chateau Montelena said that late spring rains in May ‘were the defining factor in an otherwise classic vintage’ for Calistoga. The boost of moisture helped with yields ‘but made achieving early water stress in the vines a real challenge’.
Tannins are elegant with excellent maturity, and the best wines have ample mouthfeel and complexity without excessive concentration. Alcohol levels were kept in check, with a number at 14.5% and under.
Given the even temperatures without any major heat events, there’s tremendous freshness in the 2019 Calistoga Cabernets.
Calistoga 2019: the top-performing producers
- Chateau Montelena
- Kinsman Eades
Cristaldi’s value picks
93 points Ballentine Vineyards, Pocai Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Calistoga, Napa Valley 2019
93 points Girard Winery, Cabernet Sauvignon, Calistoga, Napa Valley 2019
QUICK LINKS
Napa Cabernet 2019 – individual analysis by AVA:
Coombsville | Howell Mountain | Oakville | Rutherford | Spring Mountain | St Helena | Stags Leap District | Other Napa Valley AVAs
PLUS: Top-value Napa Cabernet 2019 – the best to buy
Calistoga 2019: the top-scoring Cabernets
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Chateau Montelena, The Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Calistoga, California, USA, 2019
The flagship wine of Chateau Montelena sourced from the winery's estate vineyard adjacent to the chateau near the base of Mount St Helena. Compact and...
2019
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Kinsman Eades, La Voleuse du Chagrin, Napa Valley, Calistoga, California, USA, 2019
From a 0.55ha plot adjacent to Eisele Vineyard comes this 100% Cabernet by Nigel Kinsman. Incredibly lavish nose of cedar, wild herbs and tobacco. Full-bodied,...
2019
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Clos Pegase, Hommage Tenma Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Calistoga, California, USA, 2019
Winemaker Robin Akhurst, a protégé of Thomas Rivers Brown, sources grapes from the oldest vines in this 16ha vineyard in the foothills of Mount St...
2019
Clos PegaseNapa Valley
Turnbull, Amoenus Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Calistoga, California, USA, 2019
Pure fruit flavours of red cherry, plum and blackberry lift out of the glass alongside cinnamon-laced cedar. Full-bodied with waves of silken crème de cassis,...
2019
TurnbullNapa Valley
Ballentine, Pocai Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Calistoga, California, USA, 2019
Only using the best blocks, this shows alluring black fruit aromas with nuanced coffee bean, roasted meat and dried wild herbs notes. Gobs of rich,...
2019
BallentineNapa Valley
Girard, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Calistoga, California, USA, 2019
Winemaker Glenn Hugo sources most of his Cabernet grapes from the Tenma vineyard in the Jericho Canyon area of northeastern Calistoga, where vines are planted...
2019
GirardNapa Valley
Canard Vineyard, Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Calistoga, California, USA, 2019
Fermented in small open-top barrels with 25 days of skin contact. Leads with pretty rose petal notes, then takes a dark turn with dried currants,...
2019
Canard VineyardNapa Valley
