The “roaring” 2020s kicked off on a rough note for Napa Valley. Dealing with Covid-19 restrictions and then hit by the Glass Fire that started on September 27th, lasting a whopping 23 days, it was just plain bad luck. The timing couldn’t have been worse as most wineries were either in the middle of harvesting or just gearing up for it. The month-long smoke ordeal tainted the grapes, making it impossible to produce any decent wine, if any at all, from that year’s harvest.
Fortunately for the vino aficionados, 2021 seems to have been Napa’s lucky year, shaping up to be the crème de la crème since the 2013 and 2016 standouts, both earning a whopping 98 points from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. Despite the low yields, the growing season played it cool and drama-free – music to our ears, really. The harvest glided by like a smooth criminal, yielding small but mighty grapes bursting with flavor and finesse. Unearthing Napa Valley’s hidden gems, from boutique wineries to top-tier producers, has always been our jam at Imbibe. We’ve got a treasure trove of 2021 vintage options that are guaranteed to knock your socks off. Cheers to that! 🍷
Enclosed below are some of the most coveted, high-end wines as well as some barn burners for the money.
2021 Turnbull Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
92 Points: Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“Turnbull has been turning out some terrific wines in recent years, and the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon is not only excellent, but it also represents a great value. Hints of cedar and vanilla accent cassis and black cherries on the nose, while the full-bodied palate is plush up front, then turns firmer on the lingering finish.”
100% Estate grown fruit!
2021 Hill Family Estate Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
93 Points: Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon stands out for its superb value. A blend of Atlas Peak and valley-floor fruit, it offers up scents of cassis, pencil shavings and blackberries on the nose, while the medium to full-bodied palate is rich, supple and concentrated, finishing long, tannic and a bit chewy but ripe. If popping a cork soon, pair it with rare red meat to help tame the youthful tannins, but don’t think that it has to be cellared.”
2021 Caterwaul Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
“Dark, complex, and structured, the 2021 vintage delivers an unforgettable Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon profile that comes from having access to some of the finest vineyards in the Valley. The wine displays a completely opaque dark purple hue in the glass. Densely layered aromatic notes suggest plum reduction, quince, oolong tea, and cedar bark. The palate experience has an interwoven dark fruit core with lively peripheral notes that lean more towards brambly red fruit. Notes of blackberry paste, leather and cocoa nib dominate the mid palate while the lengthy finish expresses brighter notes of raspberry, dark cherry and blueberries. The sleek mouthfeel is framed by finely integrated tannins and a balanced acidity, allowing for immediate enjoyment or a little nap in the cellar.”
Thomas Rivers Brown – Lead Winemaker!
2021 Arietta ‘Quartet’ Napa Valley Red Blend
92 Points: Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“Mainly Cabernet Sauvignon but with smaller amounts of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, the 2021 Quartet Red Wine does a fine job interweaving complex notes of dried herbs, cassis, black cherries and raspberries. In the mouth, it’s medium to full-bodied, creamy and supple, making it immediately approachable. Yes, it ends with some dusty tannins and impressive length, but this is the one to pop now while waiting for the other Arietta wines to shed some tannin and develop additional nuance.”
Andy Erickson – Lead Winemaker!
2021 Schrader Double Diamond Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
“The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Double Diamond is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, mostly sourced from Mondavi’s portion of the To Kalon Vineyard. Despite using less new oak (54%) than any other Schrader bottling, cedar and celery seed notes join ripe cherries on the nose. It’s medium to full-bodied, a bit firmer, richer and more tannic than the similarly priced Proprietary Red.”
Thomas Rivers Brown – Lead Winemaker!
Beckstoffer-to-Kalon fruit source at a ridiculous price!
2021 Realm ‘Moonracer’ Cabernet Sauvignon:
“Moonracer comes exclusively from Realm’s Stags Leap estate vineyard, completely farmed by the Realm team. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Moonracer needs a little swirling to begin to reveal a gorgeous perfume of candied violets, boysenberries and blueberry pie with wafts of red and black currant jelly, spice cake and camphor, plus a touch of cedar. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has captivating elegance and expression with plush tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and savory.”
2021 Barbour Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
“Harvested by-hand on September 13 and 27 from grapes grown in our two saint Helena vineyards, 2021 barbour cabernet sauvignon offers full-bodied richness. densely purple in color, the wine has aromas and flavors of ripe bing cherry, blackberry, cocoa powder, black tea, crushed flower, and graphite. The tannins are silky, a hallmark of Celia welch, and the extraordinary finish is beyond lengthy. Please enjoy 2021 barbour cabernet sauvignon in its youth following a brief decant. It will continue to evolve for 25-30 years.”
Celia Welch (Scarecrow) – Lead Winemaker!
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