Napa Valley Cabernet: Best Coombsville 2018 wines

Coombsville is Napa’s newest sub-AVA, established in 2011.

At the southeastern corner of Napa Valley, it enjoys increased exposure to the cooling influence of San Pablo Bay.

Scroll down for the top-scoring Coombsville 2018 wines

Daytime temperatures are as much as 5°C cooler than the rest of the valley. Many early plantings were based around Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Amphitheatre-like and tucked into the Vaca Range, the soils include rocky gravel, alluvial deposits and volcanic loam.

Stylistically, the wines split the difference between the svelteness of the valley floor and the rusticity of mountain appellations. They are powerful and burly but fresh and vibrant.

Napa Valley Cabernet: Full 2018 vintage report

Like the rest of Napa, 2018 in Coombsville was a vintage of extended hang-times and slightly higher yields.

‘The crop came in heavier than the year prior, 15-20% more than 2017. I wouldn’t call 2018 a warm vintage like 2016 or 2017, where you had triple-digits temperatures. It was much more moderate’, says Leo Tellez, winemaker at Sodaro.

‘Our harvest started on 28th September and wasn’t over until 3rd November. It wasn’t that the fruit was dehydrating, it just needed time. The pH of the wines was really interesting; the sugars were coming up but the pHs didn’t shift. It was one of my longest harvests ever.’

Quick links

Individual AVA analysis and top-scoring wines coming soon:

Calistoga, Howell Mountain, Mount Veeder, Oakville, Rutherford, St Helena, Stags Leap District

Indications of the high quality harvest extended beyond grapes. Renowned winemaker Andy Erickson has land in Coombsville, commenting that ‘we have orchards and gardens on our property. All the fruits and vegetables were delicious all summer long. That’s a good sign.’

Classic Coombsville vineyards include Farella, Meteor, Sodaro and Butala.

See the top-scoring Coombsville 2018 wines

See also

Decanter Premium Collector’s Guide: Napa Valley 

The rise of US urban wineries

California Cabernet 2016: Panel tasting results