When I heard about Annulus, I was very excited to jump on the list, particularly because my wife and I very much enjoy wines coming from the Beckstoffer Las Piedras vineyard. Caitlin graciously hosted us at Wheeler Farms, and we had the opportunity to taste through the lineup prior to their release.
During our tasting we also learned that there may be additional wines coming down the pipeline, including a more affordable Napa Valley Cabernet, as well as some new fruit sources in the upcoming vintages that they are working with. We also discussed some goals and visions of the label, one of which is to eventually increase the price and quality of the current Napa Valley bottling to match that of the SVDs, similar to what Memento Mori or Lithology does. Overall, I really enjoyed two of the four wines poured, and believe that at their current price point, it’s worth adding them to the cellar!
We tasted a total of 4 wines. My notes below will also be posted on CT.
2022 Annulus Sauvignon Blanc - this wine was okay. A bit heavy for my taste profile, but still balanced, and refreshing on a warm day. Unfortunately, it didn’t stand out among all the wines we tasted. Personally, I would stick to Accendo’s Sauvignon Blanc (among others) for around the same price point.
2021 Annulus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon - this wine surprised us a bit with how ready to drink it was already. Silky smooth mouth feel, velvety tannin structure, with lots of lush blue and black fruit, and a slight herbal character. A good minerality is also present on the palate, and the finish was very slightly sweet. I kept coming back to this wine during the tasting, and thought that it held its own besides the Las Piedras SVD.
2021 Annulus Beckstoffer Las Piedras Cabernet Sauvignon - this wine was dark, brooding, and screaming graphite upon first sip. Classic Las Piedras profile with decadent black fruit, cassis, crushed gravel, and a superb minerality. Surprisingly, this wine was already showing well overall, but it was only a glimpse into the power and the monster of a wine that it will evolve into. Tannins and acidity were both noticable, but not overly astringent or sour. I think this is an excellent representation of the vineyard for Nigel’s first venture into Beckstoffer fruit (as far as I am aware).
2021 Annulus Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon - I would like to preface by saying that Vine Hill Ranch is not my favorite vineyard, one of the reasons being that it is so large. The size of the vineyard creates very different expressions of wine in my opinion, and I’ve had some very amazing wines and some okay wines from the vineyard. This wine, specifically, falls in the middle, but needs time. It’s a well made wine, but simply too young to drink, and thus not showing as well as the Napa Valley and Las Piedras bottling. During the course of the tasting, I felt that this wine never fully came together and there was a dis-integration between the very high acidity and the astringent tannins that sort of clashed with each other. Definitely the most tannic and brooding of the three Cabernets, the potential is definitely there but it just needs to lay low for a while.
My overall takeaway here is that Annulus is a new producer that is worth checking out if you like Nigel’s winemaking style, but more importantly, if you specifically like Las Piedras. I’m glad to have picked up some of the Napa Valley, which I consider good value for Cabernets coming out of Napa nowadays, as well as the Las Piedras, and look forward to getting them into our cellar!
