March 2022

CAB ALERT AND REDUB OF THREAD FEATHER ‘STAG’S’

We’ve mentioned this in passing in a number of articles and emails but felt we should take a moment to make the point specifically here as well. There are shortages on the horizon of some of your favorite beverages. Thanks to the wildfires in northern California in 2020, which occurred rather late in the growing season, a number of vineyards containing later harvested varietals like Cabernet were affected by smoke taint.

There are those that will tell you that smoke taint in grapes can be ‘handled’ in the cellar. That is a subject for debate and we definitely don’t agree. Neither do most producers and most of the quality Napa vintners will not be bottling Cabernets from the 2020 vintage.

Bottom line? There will be less Cabernet to go around, obviously, if you eliminate the majority of an entire vintage. Some vintners will choose to the conserve and stretch the ’18 and ’19 vintages to cover the gap. Others will simply clamp down and protect the wines for restaurants (so you can pay more for them) or raise prices. Other simply won’t have anything to sell. In short, there will be much less to choose from for what we estimate to be a period of 18 to 24 months.

So what does one do? Simply, by a little more now and put it aside. The 2018 and 2019 vintages are quite good and still fairly available, so the old adage of a ‘bird in the hand’ is very appropriate right now. We are doing to do our best to build our own back stocks of reds to ride the storm, but there is only so much we can do.

While we’re on that subject, we went back an bought out the rest of the delightful Thread Feather Cabernet Napa Valley Stag’s Leap 2019 which we offered via email late last year. A high-quality $69-list Napa Cabernet for under $40 is a good place to start your Cabernet ‘survival kit’. Thread Feather Winemaker Niel Koch has trained at elite places, with Philip Melka at Seavey Vineyards, Bryant Family and Vineyard 29, as well as a stint as Assistant Winemaker at Lewis Cellars. He knows what great wine is supposed to taste like.

This particular bottling is important for a lot of reasons, though a Cabernet this good for this kind of price is always relevant. This, and the 2018 Howell Mountain, were the elite efforts of a serious run of excellent Cabernets from Thread Feather. The blend is 97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Merlot, and 1% Cabernet Franc grown on an eastern facing slope on the west side of the Silverado Trail.

The Thread Feather Cabernet Sauvignon Stag’s Leap is bright and opulent with dark fruit notes of dark cherry and blueberry compote and hints of baking spice, cedar, violet, crushed stone and a slight whiff of mint. It is rich with beautiful structure, superb balance, polished tannins, and luscious layers of fruit that represent the nuances of Stag’s Leap, the appellation, to a tee. Simply put, this wine blew us away, and you know we don’t say that kind of thing all that often.

We’ve seen plenty of top-end, ‘reserve’ bottlings from Stag’s Leap wineries at three to five times the price that don’t deliver this much character and joy. A gorgeous, hedonistic Cabernet even in its impetuous youth, at $39.98, you’ll feel like you got away with something that was mismarked.

NOTABLE UNDER-$10 REDS

When we started back in 1982, the world was a different place. The internet didn’t exist, nor did emails or social media and shipping to consumers beyond the local neighborhood was out of the ordinary. Most everything was sold by someone coming to an establishment and physically picking up the bottle. A lot has changed over the years, but a handy, go-to, well-made, and well priced offering still has value in the marketplace.

We keep tabs on all price ranges here, but admittedly have little tolerance for clearly manipulated wines in any price range. Unfortunately, in the lower price rungs, the majority of offerings seem to fall into that category. We are looking for wines that are honest and varietal at every level.

We became aware of Shannon Ridge wines many years ago but, in truth, the wines weren’t particularly memorable. A lot has changed since then. It is unique in a few ways. This family-owned winery is in Lake County, which has seen a lot of development in recent years. Also the vineyards from which the Shannon Ridge wines come are situated at 2200 foot elevation and the winery is committed to sustainable farming. If you start with good fruit, odds are you can do something exciting with it. Wines like this, with honest, unfettered fruit and a sub-$10 price are exciting to a lot of people.

The winery is working on offerings in a variety of styles and price points, but it was this pair of reds under the ‘High Elevation’ banner at the value end of the spectrum that presented the most potential. Such wines are not abundant in the marketplace. Good color, good weight, varietal character and this kind of pricing may not ‘shock the world’, but they will make a lot of friends.

The Shannon Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Lake County 2019 , all from mountain fruit, is a direct presentation of ripe blackberry and dark cherry, some spice and woodsy notes, and honest flavors. It got a 92 point nod from Wine Enthusiast with comments, “Bold and nicely spicy, this full-bodied wine wraps delicious black-cherry and blackberry flavors in moderate tannins, while hints of cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla weave in and out of the fruit.”

The Shannon Ridge Petite Sirah Lake County 2019 is definitely something of a throwback style and has the punchy, full throttle black fruit one expects from the varietal. Pretty much a fast ball down the middle for fans of Petite Sirah, with flecks of pepper and spice woven into the aromatics and flavors. Wine Enthusaist said of this, “Quite ripe and jammy, this deeply colored wine also sports nicely integrated tannins that balance the intense blueberry and blackberry flavors. Being relatively smooth and polished for the varietal, it’s ready to drink through 2026…90 points.”

Will these wines change your life? Probably not. But do they show the potential of Lake County ‘done right’ and deliver exceptional value? Absolutely. Stuff like this never goes out of style.

ANOTHER GREAT ‘UNDER-THE-RADAR” NAPA CAB

We’re always looking for another sneaky good Napa Cabernet at a great price no matter what. The upcoming shortage of Napa Cabernet (and a few other things) thanks to the 2020 wildfires has made the search even more urgent. A lot of folks haven’t really taken our message that seriously but, as an example of what we are talking about, our supplier just informed us that there will be no Cakebread Chardonnay available for retail until September! Armagedden? Maybe not quite, but certainly worth noting.

This one is a bit unique in a “French connection” sort of way. Winemaker Christine Barbe was born and raised in Bordeaux France. She studied biochemistry and received her doctorate degree in Enology and Viticulture from the Bordeaux Institute of Enology. Her knowledge of Sauvignon Blanc is extensive as she made wine at Chateau Carbonnieux and La Louviere in Pessac-Leognan as well as the renowned Denis Dubourdieu.

WHile the winery seems to be best known for Sauvignon Blanc, which has a style that mimics a white Bordeaux, clearly she picked up a few nuggets on Cabernet while she was at it. The style of the Terroir Coquerel Cabernet Sauvignon Walnut Wash 2019 definitely shows a Bordeaux sensibility and elegance, but still has the richness and body of something New World.

Plush and tender for its age and definitely in that value price range for Napa Cabernet, there’s a seamless presentation of blue fruits with notes of of savory spice, cocoa, and toast that delivers a nicely proportioned mouthful that will deliver substance alongside grilled red meats while not being s0 ‘big’ that it will overpower food. Nicely defined, lovely Cabernet, there aren’t any current reviews on this bottling but, in the upcoming Cabernet crisis, this is a fantastic option to have on hand from both a performance and price perspective.

LOOK WHAT WE FOUND-THE GREATEST CROZES EVER?

Something we never talk about is what goes on behind the scenes. As you might imagine, doing emails and prearrivals involves a lot more accounting than just selling the wine and having someone carry out the door. We have to keep track of the stock while its here. We’re pretty on top of it but, being human, there are occasional mistakes. Not often, mind you, but it can happen. In this particular instance, it was a fabulous bit of good fortune. What if, after doing our due diligence, we found we had ‘leftovers’ of one of the greatest Crozes Hermitages ever made.

We did three shots offering the Jaboulet Crozes Hermitage Domaine Thalabert 2015, arguably the best example yet from this legendary series that is also a house favorite from a historical perspective, with great success. We can’t explain exactly how we miscounted, but we’re sure the numbers are correct to which we are happy to say “woohoo!”.

From top, specific parcels in this fairly large estate, from 40-60+ year old Syrah vines, it resembles a kinder, gentler Hermitage. At present, the nose of blackberries and spice soar from the glass, that same redolent blackberry fruit character rolling across the palate with highlights of olive, pepper, and some smoked meat. It is a notable effort in a storied history. There’s plenty going on right out of the gate and the wine grows from there.

Jeb Dunnuck’s review encapsulates our feelings, “The finest vintage to date, better even than the stellar 2010, the 2015 Crozes-Hermitage Domaine De Thalabert is a gorgeous, deep, layered, and incredibly satisfying Crozes. Blackcurrants, olive tapenade, truffles and earthy notes all emerge from this full-bodied, gorgeously textured and seamless 2015. With fine tannin and no hard edges, it can be drunk today or cellaring for 15-20 years…97 points”

You would be remiss without a few bottles of this living legend in your cellar. If you have some, you likely need more. If you don’t, this is a must. This is a special bottle in a special vintage and an exceptional effort from both a historic and hedonistic perspective. As usual, quantities are finite.