A preview of the Napa 2021 Vintage Report: Only on Decanter Premium
Since the spring, Decanter's Napa correspondent, Jonathan Cristaldi, has been tasting through the 2021 vintage from Napa Valley. Coming out in September, his report includes notes for over 500 of the region's Cabernet Sauvignons. North American Editor, Clive Pursehouse, shares a preview with Decanter readers of the Premium coverage you can expect of this classic, five-star vintage.
For the Napa 2021 Vintage Report, Decanter Premium readers will receive unparalleled in-depth coverage from our experienced Napa Valley correspondent.
‘I’m stuffing as many 2021s in my personal cellar as I can make room for, even after tasting well over 500 Cabernets.’
In addition to accessing the full vintage report from the September print issue of Decanter, Premium readers will receive special appellation reports from 11 of Napa’s top Cabernet-producing sub-AVAs, highlighting the vintage conditions and best-performing wines in each.
The reports will be posted to Premium throughout September and announced in our US newsletter each week. (You can subscribe to the newsletter here.)
The full suite of Napa coverage includes score charts of the top 100 wines of the vintage, a special report on the top-value 2021 Cabernets, and access to all 500+ scores and reviews.
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Scroll down for a sneak peek at tasting notes and scores from the Napa 2021 Vintage Report.
An outright classic
While the 2023 vintage is described in Napa as the ‘vintage of a lifetime,’ the wines currently in the market are from 2021, a classic in its own right.
Following a very destructive 2020 when wildfires ravaged the valley, the 2021 vintage was a welcome respite and a somewhat cooler year overall. The one-line summary given by the Napa Valley Vintners to describe the 2021 growing season was: ‘The joy is back.’
While very little rain fell in the winter and spring of 2021, the nights remained cool throughout the summer. Most importantly, daytime temperatures were steady, with no heat spikes creating issues with ripening or flavour development.
The resulting grapes were small in size and concentrated in flavour. Owing to the drought conditions, yields were naturally lower. Cristaldi has found excellent wines, particularly for those who love the mineral, woodland, and spice characteristics often found in well-balanced Cabernet Sauvignon.
Speaking to Cristaldi from his home north of the San Francisco Bay, I got a real sense of his excitement about the 2021 Cabernets.
‘I’m stuffing as many 2021s in my personal cellar as I can make room for, even after tasting well over 500 Cabernets,’ Cristaldi said.
‘What’s most exciting about the 2021 Napa Cabernets is the real consistency in style across the board. They are super savoury and have taken beautifully to a host of oak-ageing regimens. They show bright fruit with dried herb aromatics shining through on the nose and ultra-fine tannins balanced by a depth of fruit on the palate.’
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The best of all worlds
‘Thinking about the 2021 Napa Cabernets in the context of the last few vintages, you’d be hard-pressed to find bottles that aren’t fabulous at the pull of the cork,’ he added.
‘Those who made 2020 Cabernets did so knowing the risks that the growing season imparted to the wines. There’s no getting around the angular tannin quality and darkness of the wines brought on by the heavier use of oak.
‘By contrast, the 2021 vintage delivered a smaller crop with a much higher skin-to-pulp ratio than in 2019 or 2018. And more judicious use of oak by winemakers across the board means the wines have the depth of fruit and tannin structure to age while remaining fairly light on their feet.
‘These 2021s are like a multi-vintage blend of 2013, 2016, and 2019. They bear the structure of 2013, the freshness of 2016, and the dark-fruited character of 2019, but they are incredibly savoury.’
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A sneak peek at five wines from the Napa 2021 Vintage Report
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Lithology, Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard, Napa Valley, St Helena, California, USA, 2021
99
Winemaker Matt Sands has turned out perfection from the Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard in St. Helena with his Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc in 2021. Here, a barrel sample offers Cabernet Sauvignon as 92% of the blend, with Cabernet Franc filling out the rest. In the typical Lithology style, this is an inky black wine with a sumptuously silky and satiny profile, but in 2021, there is freshness, lift, and tension. The full-bodied palate offers fine, intricate tannins that are assertive yet harmonious with the dark berry fruit. At the same time, a rich vein of iron-like minerality and earth mingles with fragrant cedarwood, herbs and slivers of dark chocolate on a long and satisfying finish—polished, expressive, and delicious, all from an exceptional site in a terrific vintage. I am absolutely a candidate for a 100-point wine and will taste it again in the early months of 2024.
2021
LithologyNapa Valley
Pahlmeyer, Proprietary Red, Napa Valley, California, USA, 2021
96
Flashy and fragrant aromatics of ripe blackberry fruit, graphite, tobacco, purple florals, herbs, and slivers of dark chocolate. Fabulously rich, dense dark black and blue fruit notes, tobacco leaf, and black olive atop a sea of ultra-fine velvety tannins. It’s a seamless red with no rough edges. Winemaker Katie Vogt blends the Cabernet and Merlot but waits to blend in the Malbec later, while 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc round out the cuvée. It's aged in heavy toast Taransaud and Darnajou barrels for 18 months. Hillside sources include Waters, Upper Range, Stagecoach, and Vangone.
2021
PahlmeyerNapa Valley
Orin Swift, Mercury Head, Napa Valley, California, USA, 2021
94
100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged in 13 months, 58% New French Oak. Expressive sweet and savoury coconut, dill, and Kirsch aromas with toasty oak, vanillin and mocha. A towering red that enmeshes itself on the palate with a blanket of fine-grained tannins that resolve with a burly texture before clearing the way for more of the same flavours on the palate, joined by spiced rum cake and rum-soaked raisins. The ripe, sweet fruit is granted an aromatic lift from a good amount of glycerol, which remains cool and balanced through the finish of earth, wet river stones and dried herbs.
2021
Orin SwiftNapa Valley
AXR, Proprietary Red, Napa Valley, California, USA, 2021
94
Pleasure-packed, balanced, bright, and fresh. A terrific showing for the excellent 2021 vintage. Leads with vibrant red berry fruits and flowers. With just over two weeks macerating on the skins and 12 months ageing in 40% new French oak, the tannins are pixelated, the acid tension vivid, and the medium to full body is flush with loads of crunchy dark berry fruit. It’s a downright delicious red blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc.
2021
AXRNapa Valley
The Vice, Cabernet Sauvignon The Legacy, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District, Stags Leap District, California, USA, 2021
93
This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Stags Leap District AVA is elegantly fashioned, balanced, and richly mineral-scented. Bright and pure red berry fruit is laced with crushed volcanic minerals. Medium-bodied with gentle tannins that are nicely integrated. Nuances of graphite, sandalwood and sweet baking spices round out the fresh finish.
2021
The ViceNapa Valley
