Napa Valley & California Cabernet Sauvignon 2015: Panel tasting results

Dave Allen, Stephen Brook and Terry Kandylis tasted 197 wines, with 10 Outstanding and 63 Highly Recommended…

Entry criteria: Producers and UK agents were invited to submit California Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 wines (minimum 75% Cabernet), from any region in California.

The verdict

If there was one thing the judges were in complete agreement about during this extensive tasting, it was that 2015 is an excellent vintage for Cabernet Sauvignon in California.

Scroll down to see the tasting notes & scores

There was, however, considerable regret that some significant regions submitted few or no samples. There were some wines from Sonoma, but far fewer than in previous years’ editions of this tasting; and Paso Robles, often a source of good-value Cabernets for relatively early drinking, was conspicuous by its complete absence.

The excellent performance of the two wines from Santa Cruz showed that tasters are by no means Napa-fixated, and it was good to see two juicy wines from Santa Barbara.

Quick link: See all 197 California Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 tasting notes

However, Terry Kandylis and Stephen Brook in particular were dismayed by the number of overripe and thus high-alcohol wines presented. Dave Allen was a bit more tolerant, saying that there was a market for this style, even though it was hard to see the appeal of wines that often tasted sweet and had Port-like alcohol levels.Cooler Californian vintages such as 2010 have previously demonstrated that such conditions can result in beautifully focused and ageworthy red wines, even if they have been greeted with more enthusiasm in Europe than in the US.

Is it the case that steadily hot vintages (such as 2014 and 2015) inevitably result in super-ripe grapes? Or is it a question of stylistic choice?

Kandylis had little doubt that it was the latter. ‘Growers in hot climates know how to deal with torrid conditions,’ he observed. ‘Changing row orientation in the vineyard, increasing the canopies to offer the vines more protection from direct sunlight, higher yields to slow the maturation, earlier harvesting – this is all known and understood.’

Ripeness

But it seems that some wineries are deliberately aiming instead for a super-ripe style. The perils were obvious in the glass: jammy flavours, soupy or flabby textures, a lack of length and a burning finish were all the footprints of this approach. All three tasters were surprised by how many wines were still being presented in this style, since winemakers in the region keep insisting that they are aiming for lower alcohols and better balance. Well, it certainly wasn’t much in evidence at this tasting.

In contrast, highish alcohol levels of 14-15% were perfectly acceptable and could result in rich but still well-balanced wines. Also on the positive side, no-one complained about excessive or clumsy use of oak, although there were a few rare exceptions. Faulty wines were also minimal. Allen noted: ‘Consumers should be reassured about overall quality, though value is still an issue, as it always has been.’

Allen’s favourite Napa sub-regions in the tasting were St Helena and Oakville, and these were also mentioned by Kandylis, who added Stags Leap District and Oak Knoll. Indeed, Oak Knoll showed better than the other ‘cool’ AVA of Coombsville.

It was difficult to assess the mountain vineyards as there were relatively few wines presented, compared to a vast swathe of generic Napa Valley bottlings. However, there were good examples from Spring Mountain. Rutherford, meanwhile, was slightly disappointing given its prestige, and there was little excitement here.

In demand

This tasting revealed how many new wineries have sprung up in Napa over recent years. One would imagine most suitable land for vines would have been planted by now, and of course many new wineries simply buy fruit from growers, as is common practice in California. Nonetheless, the trend towards investing a high-tech fortune in the agreeable lifestyle of a winery and tasting room in the valley has not abated.

Many of these wines have little or no international distribution, so they remain obscure outside the US. Fortunately for the owners, the domestic market, fuelled by tax cuts, remains strong and vibrant, and the successful marketing devices of a mailing list and wine club, sustained by a torrent of glowing critics’ scores, still thrive.

It’s easy to be cynical about this continuing trend, but at least the wines remain, for the most part, of high quality.

The scores

Wines tasted 197

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 10

Highly Recommended 63

Recommended 99

Commended 20

Fair 3

Poor 0

Faulty 2

See all 197 California Cabernets from the panel tasting

About California Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

Recent vintages in America’s sunny west coast state have been generally well received, producing many highly rated wines, and, reports Stephen Brook, the latest release 2015s are true to form…

Both 2013 and 2014 were acclaimed, if not entirely consistent, Cabernet vintages in California, and another vintage of comparable quality turned up in 2015. However, after a cool spring in Napa Valley the flowering was patchy, leading to crop losses ranging from 10% to 60% depending on local conditions. The summer that followed was dry and hot.

This was to prove a mixed blessing. The poor set at flowering meant that berries were often small, resulting in very concentrated juice with high sugars. Moreover, in late summer and during harvest, there were heat spikes that led to raisining. This was a manageable problem if efforts were made to remove shrivelled berries and sort the bunches. Where this was not done the consequence, again, would have been very high sugars. These conditions were encountered throughout the state, not just in Napa.

It was an early harvest in 2015 and, as is so often the case, the decision on when to pick was crucial to ensure an ideal balance of sugar, acidity and tannin. Those wineries that got it right ended up with excellent wines. Dominus found the wines preferable to 2014 as they showed more depth of flavour. Yet opinions on the two vintages differed. At a subsequent tasting of prestigious Napa Cabernets, one producer told me the 2015s were more elegant than the denser 2014s, while another, from Cardinale, said the exact opposite, noting how tannic many 2015s were. Obviously local conditions and microclimates can and do vary, so both views are plausible.

Cal Cab: The facts

Total wine grape plantings in California: 257,900ha

Cabernet Sauvignon plantings in California: 35,445ha

Cabernet Sauvignon plantings in Napa Valley: 8,771ha (47% of plantings)

Cal Cab: Know your vintages

2016 A cool summer was followed by a warm September that speeded up ripening. Outstanding Cabernet with concentrated and layered wines.

2014 A warm though not excessively hot summer delivered vibrant Cabernets with fine tannins.

2013 A normal growing season, but small berries and thick skins gave ripe but tannic Cabernets that need time.

2012 A year of even ripening and generous yields. A precocious vintage, resulting in supple and generous wines.

2011 A difficult flowering meant a small crop after a fairly cool summer. Rain at harvest required many producers to sort unpicked fruit. Very good but inconsistent wines.

2010 A cool and late growing season, giving wines of fresh acidity and moderate alcohols, but stylistically controversial.

Top-scoring California Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 from the panel tasting:

See all 197 California Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 tasting notes

The judges

Dave Allen

Allen is director of Californian specialist wine merchant The Vineyard Cellars in Berkshire. He started at Coe Vintners before progressing through sales and managerial roles there and later at Enotria&Coe, and has spent most of his career selling premium-level wines and spirits in the on-trade across London and the southeast.

Stephen Brook

Decanter contributing editor Brook is the author of almost 40 books on travel, wine and more, and has won numerous awards for his writing on wine. His works include The Wines of California (Faber & Faber 1999), which won three awards, and his monumental survey The Complete Bordeaux is now in its third edition.

Terry Kandylis

Kandylis is head sommelier at London’s 67 Pall Mall private members’ club. He earned the title of Best Sommelier in Greece in 2015 and was the UK Sommelier of the Year in 2016. He has passed the advanced level of the Court of Master Sommeliers exam and is currently preparing for his MS diploma.

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