Pour on the intensity! This marvelously extracted Cabernet is full of wow factor. It begins dark and brooding in the glass, typical of the ’21 vintage throughout Napa Valley. 2021 will be long remembered for the intense drought that naturally thinned vineyards by way of smaller berry size and smaller clusters thus reducing yields in many vineyards by 40 to 70%. The result was profound color and extraction and this ’21 is no exception.
Beginning with a dark, brooding notes of kirsch, cassis, blackberry jelly jar, French barrel vanillin and rose potpourri each dance to fill the glass. As this wine opens, more surreal notes of black fruit, dried cherry, hints of tar and barrel toast come through on the palate. The acid lightly bounces from wall to wall in the mouth to allow a 2-minute glide on the finish. This is the making of a wonderful 15-to-20-year wine.
Whew, the ’21 packs a flavorful punch! A knockout, massive wine, focused nose of plum, currant…give it some time and it’s the entire black fruit spectrum. It is incredibly intoxicating. Crushed herbs, dried cherry, savory spice and kirsch. Catching right up at the start is a robust mouthfeel, elixir-like presence. Mountain fruit from the rare 337 cone at 1400 feet. Chocolate dipped cherry, accurately fine, dusty tannins. Flavors are consistent and abound, and persist well over 4 minutes. Elevage of 22 months, 100% New French Oak. Unfiltered and Unfined. Enjoy to 2038 and beyond in optimal conditions. Easily a 20-year wine! The blend arrives at 97% Stagecoach C5 Block Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Destin Vineyard Malbec.
From the get-go, this wine is dark, brooding, and intensely opaque in the glass. It is a wall of black matter staring back at you. The nose is intense and deep, dominant with cocoa nib chocolates. This will be one of the classic Francs of the vintage and one of my favorites of the Bordeaux varietals to craft. The mouthfeel is polished and smooth. Purple mid-palate fruit pushes it’s way through with the aid of fine youthful tannins and a tension to hold the structure together over a 15 plus stretch of time. The chemistry in the bottle begs to be laid down. This Franc is quite a welcome release and destined to be a standout in the MIRROR line.
Here is truly a fine expression of terroir. The Calesa Vineyard, where this wine is solely sourced, shows the very best of the Chardonnay grape and a clear and correct example of a varietal matched to site. The Petaluma Gap is often hard on the vines grown in the appellation. Shallow, rocky hillsides with cold, foggy mornings and strong afternoon coastal winds place continual pressure and stress on vines. This bevy of conditions is why we love the wines so much from strenuous growing conditions. The nose is packed with cool climate scents of lemon drops, curd with nuances of toasty vanillin. Loads of stone fruits, peaches and apricots are the framework in the mouth. The mouthfeel is racy, fantastic and may I say quite a nod to old world white Burgundy.
