Some 2011 Napa Cabs (Schrader, Piper, Congruence, EMH)

Over the last two weeks, including Christmas dinner, I have opened four different 2011 Napa Cabs (among other wines). Not sure why I opened so many wines from that vintage, especially with the risks that seem to go along with it, but ultimately it was an interesting exercise - one that showed me, at least for my palate, there are wines I like that have aged very well, but more importantly, good or bad, each wine I tasted was different and each had its own fan club.

2011 Schrader Las Piedras: my first LPV from Schrader, and it made me wonder what the wine tastes like from so-called good vintages. Decanted for six hours (based on prior experience with other Schrader wines), this was big, modern, and rich, but somehow light and deft on its feet. A good mix of red and black fruit, with a silky finish. No perceivable tannins, the finish lasted a very long time. An excellent wine.

2011 Roy Piper Wines: popped and poured immediately after the Schrader (I had some unexpected relatives show up, so the wine drinking group was larger than expected). Big and modern like the Schrader, but bolder and darker (more dark fruit) with a richness and depth that was noticeably different. There was still enough left in everyone’s glasses to go back and forth between the Schrader and Piper. Everyone liked both, and even though several even said the Schrader was the best wine they had ever had, most everyone liked the Piper more. Me? Dang. Both were great, but I’d probably tip the scales for the Schrader, as it seemed just a bit more polished.

2011 Congruence: Consumed over two days, the primary note I got was bell pepper. It subsided on day two, but because I was expecting it on day two, I coudln’t shake it. A new group of people tasted this wine, and one person loved it - loved the green, loved the savory notes. Not a bad wine, and day two was my favorite, but the bell pepper/herbal notes were a bit much for me.

2011 Black Cat Special Selection: Interesting wine. The first hour, the bright red fruit and light mouthfeel had a very Pinot quality about it, but it seemed thin. Hour two, the wine started to fill out, but was still on the thinner side. By hour three, I started wondering if I should have decanted this wine for a day before tasting - better/bigger mouthfeel, with a good mix of red and black fruit, but still with a relatively short finish. This seems like a bottling that would be interesting to follow over many years, as it changed so much over the course of the night.

I have had some great, and some awful 2011s. These four - from producers that I know I like - covered a broad spectrum, with facets that I like and don’t like. I don’t know whether the winemakers were happy with what they got out of the vintage, or whether their wine met their own expectations, but in some respects I may like 2011 better than 2012, which is a vintage where so many wines seem to taste alike.

I like the ‘11 Congruence. The green pepper note morphed into licorice root pretty quickly for me and I think these are a spectacular QPR for the $28 I paid.

Awesome notes, thanks for posting!

Glad you had good luck with some 2011 cabs. I’ve tried a decent amount and really only been happy with a couple (2011 Tor Kenward Cimrossa being the main one). The others have been super disappointing, and in some cases flat out bad (for my palate). Most disappointing being a 2011 Realm The Bard. Not good.

Dang, I have a couple 2011 Bards. My first great 2011s were the Cimarossa Cabs -Potente and Levante (or something like that). Both were excellent. Never had the Tor, but if it’s from the same vineyard(s), I would like it. From there, the VHR and Greer were very good.

Sorry man! Hopefully I had a bad bottle of the Bard or something, but it wasn’t even close to the level id expect from The Bard (even in a tough vintage).

Really happy to hear the VHR was good. Wavered back and forth but ultimately got one (at the very least to keep the vertical going…at least that’s how i justified it)

Haven’t drank very many CA '11’s yet but the ones I have had were disappointing for my taste preferences. Generally thin acidic and lacking fruit. I am hoping that some cellar time will bring the fruit out on these even though I am not particularly optimistic.

The 2011 Greer was both elegant and rich after a two hour decant. Not a big, bold or fruit forward as the 2010. This was a great wine- 94

Thanks for your notes, Eric, particularly on the 2011 EMH Black Cat Special Selection.

I DO MOST DEFINITELY recommend decanting all of my wines for a minimum of 2 hours…I have never found that 4-6-8 hours ever hurt them. In fact, I would say it improves them. I don’t know why. They are not high alcohol, they only receive 20-30% tops new oak (always French from either Nadalie or Marchive). Just the nature of my fruit and what I make. The shipper “lost” 12 bottles of this a couple of years ago, so I made it totally unavailable, thinking I had a total of 10 bottles of that wine. The case reappeared during the next physical inventory (obviously it was misplaced in another winery’s inventory), so now I have 22 bottles. I would love to taste what you tasted, but will need to wait for some friends to be around to make it worthwhile to cut my inventory to 21!

Of interest is on Cellartracker, where 2 known and respected tasters recently had his own “take” on the 2011 “regular.” Totally opposite. But this is all part of this crazy thing we are into - consumers and producers alike. Totally interesting, and usually fun.

Don - my first few 2011s were exactly as you say. Thin, lacking fruit, and a touch green. I was about to give up on the vintage when I tasted the Greer. From there, as mentioned above, I have had some very good wines. But, I have come across some that seem less successful.

Mike - I have had the 2011 Greer about five times now, and each bottle has been between very good and excellent. Bucking the trend for valley floor fruit for the vintage.

Merrill - I uncorked the bottle about six hours before drinking, but yes, I should have put it in a decanter. Interested to hear how your bottles taste in the future.

Glad the Piper showed well.

Las Piedras was one of the best vineyards of the vintage. Fairchild also made a really nice 2011 from it. That vineyard is in a banana belt and was able to get nearly fully ripe even in that vintage.

Interesting session. What were the price tags on the other wines in the group? My 2011 Napa is $35 before any discount (or $28 when I offered it here). I would have been interested to see if my 2011 Coombsville Reserve would have fit in a bit better. That’s only $60 but it is a significant step up from the Napa.

That dried herb characteristic in the 2011 Napa is definitely there (I don’t get the bell pepper thing. I think Michael’s licorice root is closer to the characteristic). I could be wrong, but I think in about 5 years that will be fully integrated and the wine will be in a great place. I’ve always thought it had a more classic bordeaux profile compared with my other wines. It’s also interesting that the dried herb thing can be either a) offputting or b) not obvious or 3) a positive to others. That’s pretty much consistent with my experience tasting it with customers and others - wildly different reactions to the wine, more so than any of my other bottlings.

Ultimately, I think, generally, that the 2011s will be something like 1998s, time will be kind to them, at least as long as you didn’t try to force a round peg into a square hole, but they can be very awkward in their youth. It’s definitely a “different” vintage in Napa.

Thanks for posting this Eric. 2011 is an interesting vintage, and will be the subject of debate for quite a while. I’ve had some of the same producers you mention, and have had similar experiences. Piper’s 2011 was excellent, and EMH (regular bottling) was also very good. I’ve had a bunch of Morlet 2011 cabs as well and they have been consistently delicious.

My conclusion is that top producers like these (and others mentioned here like Greer, Schrader, Cimarossa) are going to be good in just about any vintage. Especially in Napa where the range of vintage variation is so narrow.

I’m really looking forward to the rest of my EMH’s!

Steve, I opened your regular, not the Reserve - I forgot that I had a couple bottles. I had a bottle of the 2011 before, and liked it, so the strong bell pepper notes for distinct to that bottle (for me). But, you are right, it would have been more interesting to open the Reserve. The prices of the others were $175 (Schrader), $125 (Piper), and $70 (EMH)…I think.

Interesting that you think 2011 will be like 1998 - unsolicited, a few others said the same thing. I don’t have enough experience with 1998 to know, but several people told me to put the rest of my 2011s away. Curious what others think.

Not a problem at all, Eric. Jacques Lardiere once told a small group of us at the Couvent de Jacobins in Beaune that every wine is a living thing that is constantly expanding and contracting, so the key is to open it when it is most giving (among the many what I consider the many spiritual things he and I shared that night at dinner). Sometimes the notes are in the forefront; sometimes very much in the background. It’s something to live with until the wine finds its ultimate balance point, which I am pretty confident it will.

I really believe that about 2011 and am glad to hear others feel the same. As long as the vintage was respected, I think it will ultimately reward patience. From a selfish perspective, I hope that’s true, because I’ll probably wind up with a lot of 2011 in my cellar when I wrap things up with Congruence 1.0.