Tasting Notes
Although not without significant challenges, Napa Valley is enjoying a golden era of vintages. For Mayacamas, the 2019 season sits alongside the benchmark years of 2013 and 2016 and is a more than worthy follow-up to the acclaimed 2018 that preceded it—albeit one that produced wines in a very different style. Conditions were cool overall; in fact, 2019 was the sixth coolest vintage in 20 years. A warm end to summer paved the way for healthy crops of ripe, powerful fruit with perfectly mature tannins, fresh acidity and opulent, supple texture. The smaller berries and higher skin-to-juice ratio than the previous year manifest in a little more energy, power and depth than the 2018 release.
Not much has changed by way of production since Bob Travers took control of the Mayacamas estate in the late 1960s. The fruit is handpicked early, often in early September, to preserve natural, altitude-derived acidity. Small amounts of Merlot and Cabernet Franc are added each year. Fermentations occur predominantly in open-top cement vessels built in the 1950s, again to preserve acidity and vibrant fruit character. Extended aging occurs exclusively in neutral oak—some as old as 100 years—typically for three years, which allows the expression of the vineyard to shine through the powerful fruit profile, while also minimising oxygenation and helping to maintain the tight, powerful tannin structure Mayacamas is so famous for. The 2019 aged for 20 months in large vessels before 14 months in French barrique and a further two years in bottle. - Importer Note
Where to start with Mayacamas Vineyards? How about with the words of Eric Asimov: “A legendary purveyor of classically structured, ageworthy Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.” Or perhaps Matt Kramer: “Really, you can’t do better than Mayacamas Vineyards for California wine profoundness.” Then, how about Antonio Galloni: “One of the most iconic estates of Napa Valley.” Or Jon Bonné: “Mayacamas Vineyards is among the classic wineries that have made California wines among the world’s finest.”
Untouched by the clamour for high-octane ripeness and stratospheric scores, Mayacamas remains California’s most un-Californian Cabernet. Slow to evolve and imposingly grand in its prime, the flagship Cabernet Sauvignon’s combination of aromatic power, unique structure and noted longevity has regularly invited comparisons with First Growth Bordeaux—from a great year, we might add! At the same time, the traditional winemaking in concrete and century-old foudre owes more to Piemonte than the Napa cults.
As a young wine, the Cabernet combines astonishing precision, purity and structure with a wild element unique to Mount Veeder Cabernet, once described by Gerald Asher as “a reminder of hedgerow briar rather than the cultivated berry patch”. Nestled above the fog line at a lofty 700 metres on Mount Veeder, Mayacamas’s unique highland terroir delivers the longest growing season and lowest natural yields of Napa Valley. With a much cooler, mountainous climate than the valley floor, it’s a unique appellation that delivers one of Napa’s most unique Cabernets.
Although the fame of its Cabernet has eclipsed that of its white wine, Mayacamas’ early reputation was built on the back of its Chardonnay. Mayacamas’s original owner, Jack Taylor, planted the first Chardonnay vines in the 1950s when there were as few as 150 acres spread across California. Since then, the vines have been replanted with classic US Wente clone and a smattering of Dijon. Since Bob Travers’ time, through precise picking and inhibiting malolactic fermentation, the style has hinged on youthful tension and ripe-fruited intensity before the wine takes on an unexpected opulence with age. The note below gives you all the details.
| Product Type | Wine Red Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot & Friends |
| Volume | 750ml |
| Country | USA |
| Region | California |
| Sub Region | Napa Valley |
| Winemaking Practices | Minimal Intervention |
| Vineyard Practices | Organic/Biodynamic |