Celebrating The Outstanding 2021 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons
By Tom Hyland
There are numerous grape varieties planted in Napa Valley, ranging from Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc to Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Zinfandel. There are excellent wines produced every year from these cultivars, but the reality is that Cabernet Sauvignon is the King of Napa Valley, not only in terms of acres planted - more than 50% of the plantings in the valley are to this grape - but also in terms of press. It is Cabernet Sauvignon that was the foundation of Napa Valley glory more than a century ago, and it remains this way today.
So when there is a exceptional vintage for Cabernet Sauvignon in Napa Valley, you will hear a great deal about it. This has been the situation for the 2024 vintage for Cabernet Sauvignon in this area, a year that every producer agrees was special, resulting in wines of great complexity, density, harmony and aging potential.
I recently interviewed four Napa Valley winemakers, known for their distinctive offerings of Cabernet Sauvignon; I then tasted one or more of their Cabernet Sauvignons from 2021. Here are the three questions I asked each individual:
What made the 2021 growing season in Napa so special? When did you harvest? Was this a normal size crop, smaller or larger?
How do you describe the finished wines in terms of aromatics, tannins, acidity harmony, texture, concentration, etc.?
How would you rate the 2021 vintage? How long will these wines age? Is there a recent vintage you can compare to 2021?
Here are their answers, followed by my tasting notes:
Phillip Titus, Acumen Winemaker
From a viticulturist’s point of view, 2021 was not an ideal growing season. With drought conditions and only 10 inches of rain in most parts of Napa Valley for the second year in a row, most vineyards experienced some level of water and nutrient stress. The last time Napa Valley experienced these kinds of drought conditions were the growing seasons of 1976/1977 and 1977/1978. At least in 2021, most vineyards now have irrigation as apposed to 45 years ago. In addition to the drought conditions, 2021 was a very warm growing season, adding more stress to the vines and grapes. All of this said, the 2021 growing season produced phenomenal wines on Atlas Peak, which I will discuss more below.
As we know, stress on grape vines can bring about positive side effects in the wine. On Atlas Peak, our Cabernet Sauvignon berries were tiny with thick skins and very little juice inside the berries. Yields were down but concentration was up with deep color and rich, luxurious flavors. Just as important, the structure of the wines is incredible with mouth-coating tannins and lush, deep berry flavors to balance out the tannins.
Our 2021 Acumen wines are profoundly concentrated with rich layers of fruit, spice and a dense tannic structure. In 2021, the challenge was to make balanced wines that still express a sense of terroir and harmony on a large and concentrated scale, which I believe we achieved. The wines from the 2021 vintage are already impressive in their youth, but they also possess the power and structure to age for decades. With time in bottle, they will only continue to gain additional complexity and texture.
2021 will be considered a classic vintage for aging due to the concentration of flavor, color and tannin. For those who have the patience to age the wines, there will be great rewards in the future. In recent memory, 2021 reminds me of 2007 and 2013. These are wines that were enjoyable young but have paid dividends after a decade of more of cellaring.
Acumen Cabernet Sauvignon Peak 2021 (Atlas Peak, Napa Valley) - 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, this is a blend of fruit from two vineyards 2500 feet above the Napa Valley floor; the wine was aged in 75% new oak. Bright, deep purple; intoxicating aromas of cocoa powder, black currant, anise and lavender. Full-bodied (14.5%), with a deeply layered mid-palate, there is outstanding ripeness, very good acidity, rich tannins and excellent persistence. This is a beautifully structured, tightly wound Cabernet Sauvignon with superb varietal purity and a distinct savory quality. This is an example of Napa Valley lushness with a European vitality, all the time displaying amazing harmony. As striking as the wine is now, this needs a little time to display more of its character and complexities; peak drinking in 15-25 years. (96)
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