Great work Roy, thank you.
Thank you Roy!
Thanks, Roy. Your post was very informative and useful!
Thanks,
Ed
Thanks for your insight Roy. By the way, I opened one of your 2014’s last night with a 1-2 hour decant and it was fantastic,
Thanks Roy. I’m surprised to see the width of the range for 2005-2010. I’ve seen much more consistency across these vintages. Eg. the 2009s I’ve had have been very similar to 2008s.
OK, I was going to stay away from posting on this thread, but when did I ever listen to myself? I need a meaningful 9000th post!
Roy is a friend and colleague. We do not always agree. He tastes MUCH more widely than I do. But, and in all due respect to my friend, I disagree with his assessments. And I would never go out there and award points like that.
I have a micro-assessment from growing, making, and selling my own Cabernet. But that does not invalidate my experience. Many of my personal experiences vary so widely from his that I wonder if we are tasting anything Napa at all!
Roy knows I will lay out a vertical for him any time. Of my own EMH Black Cat.
Ok, so Merrill, where and how do you disagree? Just wondering…
I am jet-lagged from a week in Boston. I used to do the time difference easily. These days? Not well.
But I will approach this tomorrow. As always, I will be truthful. And as I said, it will be from my own perspective. But yes, I look forward to addressing Mr. Piper’s opinions, one by one.
Roy,
How about '16 Paso Robles Syrahs etc?
Generally Roy may be right in many respects. But, wines are different where they were grown - case in point, the 2011 (mold year). The valley floor was devastated if not already picked before the early October rains (fixed). The mountain fruit from many producers was just fine. But, even valley floor fruit from the better winemakers was much better than 75 pts!
I never thought of the 2012’s as underrated; I loved that vintage when they were young and I have rarely been disappointed with the '12’s.
I really liked 2005 back around 2008-2010. Not holding up as well as I hoped. Still love 2007 (much better than 2006).
Unless my mind is totally screwed up, in 2011 the rain started on Monday, October 3. That was my latest pick ever, and at the lowest Brix ever. I made the call to pick, got it done, through the crusher, into the tank, and got into my car at the winery at 11:45 a.m. The first rain hit my windshield as I turned the key in the ignition. The rest is history.
A very good call, Merrill!
Dual meaning. My call to pick then turned out to be “a very good call.” As usual, I came under fire from some people for picking “too early.” And calling you on your inadvertent mis-speak is a good call, too!
[quote=“Roy Piper”]We will see with 2017, but the 2012-2016 range is the best run of consecutive vintages Napa has had since the 1991-1997 seven-peat. Just like that period, some are a little better than others. Here is my own current impressions of each Cab vintage since I arrived in Napa. Remember that I think Napa Cabs are best consumed between ages 8-15yrs most of the time.
2005: fruit forward, large crop, start drinking, 90pts
Merrill: The most inconsistent, PITA vintage I have produced. This one has done the cha-cha on me too many times. I won’t even show it anymore. I was not as heavily involved in the winemaking aspect back then, more focusing on growing, but the man who handled this one for me is deceased. Not going to find out soon what we did wrong. Not sure if other wineries experienced strangeness, too. 90 would be high for me, as I value consistency.
2006: gorgeous for last several years, improved a lot in bottle, drink over next 5yrs, 95pts
Merrill: agreed. Balanced and elegant, with every part working together. Was not this great out of the gate, but those who love wines that are mature love this one. I would rate slightly lower.
2007: tannic when young, huge early promise but hit or miss, will tannin outlive fruit? Try now. 91pts
Merrill: I love love love this wine! Opened a bottle the other night at a restaurant, and just from the bouquet when it was decanted, the waitperson went scurrying to google EMH. She is studying wine at Boston U. Very happy lady when I left her the remains of the decanter. I would rate a lot higher.
2008: good but rarely anything spectacular. Start trying. 88pts
Merrill: Opened this one this past weekend at a house party of non wine geeks. They loved it. I poured it after my 2011, which they had sucked down, but when I insisted that they try them side by side, everyone wanted more 2008. I would rate way higher.
2009: quite ripe, lacking tannin, not long agers, drink up over next 5 years 87pts
Merrill: My best vintage. Elegant, feminine, and drinking so well since it emerged from the crusher! It ain’t going anywhere south in 5 years. The core of fruit (which seems to have shifted from red to darker) will make it enjoyable for a long time. Rate way way way higher.
2010: cool vintage with heat spikes, exc tannin, can age, give a try now 94pts
Merrill: This is quite the burly one. It still needs time to come together, unlike the 2007 and 2009. Bouquet is awesome. I often describe it as the 2008 in a new jacket. Would rate a bit lower.
2011: poor, cold, wet vintage. A small number of wines are beauts. Drink now and next five. [75[/b]
Merrill: Mine is a beauty. Not green, but the herbal notes (dried sage) keep this one interesting. No one has turned it away. Definitely good for the AFWE crowd. I sell it every time I show it. I think it will last virtually forever. Add at least 15 points and you have a better assessment
2012: large crop, these wines have never shut down, drink now and next 5. Under-rated vintage. Beautiful 94pts
Merrill: Yes, a large crop. I like it. It will go more than 5 more. I would rate slightly lower, perhaps.
2013: has it all, fruit, tannin, depth. Should age well. The 2002 of this generation. Lay down a few years. 97pts
Merrill: Not arguing here.
2014: leaner and more structured, might really appeal to some. Built to last. Lay down. 92pts[/b
Merrill: Still trying to wrap my arms around this one. Agree that it is built to last.
2015: a lot like 97 and 07. Very tannic, needs time. Have great potential but we will see. 90-94pts]
Merrill: Just bottled last June - not even a year in bottle. I am withholding comment because I do not know this one well enough yet!
2016: balanced and deep, showing immense promise. feels like the 06 vintage, 93-95pts
Merrill: Rich, full, awesome fruit. Still in barrel. Have recently made my choices for Special Selection and regular Black Cat. Clueless on rating at this point, but it is no slacker.
2017: lower alcohol, hit and miss, there will be excellence but not across board and we won’t know until its in bottle. 87-91pts
Merrill: Six months in barrel… This one had a stuck fermentation, for some reason. We re-started it, and I think it messed with the conversion rate (sugar to alcohol). Does not taste high alcohol, but preliminary labs are indicating it. Gorgeous, gorgeous fruit. Small production.
I’m not sure which is less useful — broad vintage generalizations about a huge area or vintage assessments from a single, tiny plot of land within said huge area. 
Seriously, though, I very much appreciate the posts from you both.
I agree. Perhaps someone else can add a third perspective and the dialogue will continue!
Many vintners and winemakers purchase fruit from various sources, and don’t have control over some of the growing aspects, or the changing fruit source alters the profile. My fruit source is always the same, and the cellar staff I use is always at the same facility, so I believe what I experience is truly vintage difference.
As I said, Mr. Piper tastes far and wide. I tend to taste close and narrow. The hundreds of acres being farmed in my neighborhood provide fruit for a wide range of wineries. You will see fruit being harvested at various points of maturity. And virtually no one outside knows which techniques each winery employs to produce its wines.
Lots of food (fruit?) for thought!
Remind me not to cross Merrill.
You and our host during my October fire evacuation get an infinite hall pass. Your kindness, good (if slightly engineerish) humor and warmth, in addition to Champagne and the most divine cheeses I have ever had…they will stay with me forever.
If you want to pay for the shipping, I will send you some of my 2005. It will probably be outstanding! Anyone else who wants in, please email me. I have a few cases left. Then ya’ll can post on CellarTracker and bury that baby.
First off, I trust what Roy has to say in regard to both broad vintage ratings and specific wine recommendations to the effect that his opinions carry more weight than any critic for me these days. He tastes far and wide, and he does have the Napa insider track that he can parlay into early access to things we here cannot. Sure he has some Napa Fanboy bias, but same here in our household. I have tasted with him (been years though) and his palate aligns really well with mine. As for numerical valuations, that of course is purely subjective, but overall impressions are what I am going to base my dollar expenditures on anyway.
Secondly, I had a text conversation this past weekend with another Napa owner/winemaker and he summed up the 2013-2016 vintages pretty well. Although, he gave no points to specific years. Of course that is fine when talking the same language such as tannin, ripeness, extraction, etc. From what I gather, 2016 is a year for me to spend some coin on all up and down the spectrum of Napa wines.
Third, I have had only one 2016 Napa Cab Sauv so far. It was a Textbook Napa Cabernet Sauvignon from two weeks ago tasted side by side with the 2015. Of course it was a baby, but with four hours of air the wine was way approachable and more refined than the 2015. The '15 is still brooding and full of tannin. Based on a minuscule sample size, I prefer this 2016 to its counterpart. Again, I need to go to Napa to taste to make a broad call (I plan to make a venture in Summer to bring some of my Wagyu).
Finally, to speak Merrill’s points and opinions above…we get it. You are the only one in Napa that picks as early and at such a low brix. You yourself admit to having a micro-assessment of Napa and how wines are made at other properties. Your opinion is yours, of course.
We all know that you have lots of fans here and this is going to ruffle some feathers, but you are not a winemaker or vineyard manager by any stretch. Deciding on a pick date makes you the owner of the property, sorry. Also, the constant promotion of your wine and very little mention of any competitors in Valley does grow a bit tiresome. I have had winemakers tell me offline that your property is being underutilized and mismanaged. The comment was that if someone else bought the property and a new wine making team brought in, the brand would garner huge scores and dollars. Just some more food for thought.
Merrill, I think Tex might be in love with you. #notjoking