The low alcohol movement in CA Pinot Noir seems to be in full swing and has resulted (in varying degrees) to the popularity and wide-spread praise of wines from Rhys, the ‘new’ Copain, new style of Kutch, Ceritas, and many others. This phenomenon and the recent change in CA reviewers at the Wine Advocate raised a question for me.
Is there a similar trend occuring in Napa with Cabernet Sauvignon based wines? I would think that there will be a broader shift over the coming years if Antonio is able to garner a following for his CA reviews, but only time will tell in that regard. However, right now, are there any new producers making wine in an “Old School” style? To be clear, by Old School I mean in the mold of Ch. Montelena, Heitz, Dunn, Dominus, Ridge, Mayacamas, etc. Or are there any producers that have recently shifted from the super-ripe 98-100 point Parker style to a more restrained style similar to those mentioned above?
I don’t drink a lot of cab, but from my visit to Arnot Roberts last year I think this is exactly what they are doing. I was impressed with their wines, which, across the board seemed to be made in an “old school” style.
Thank you for the feedback so far. Just to clarify, I am plenty happy with the number of producers I have to buy from in this style. What I’m really interested in is the trend (if there is one) and if it has similarities to the trend in PN, which has been the most visible and vocal clash of styles in CA recently. This especially considering the recent Wine Advocate reviews, which tipped the scales back toward Dunn in particular and the old world style in general. There are outliers, of course. This is further being discussed as it relates to cult cabs - Scarecrow is the recent thread on WB that discusses this issue as it related to price and desirableness of Cabs at this price point without the 97-100 point score. I was just curious if there has been an undercurrent of this style shift already and if so, who is initiating it. If anyone is ahead of the curve, so to speak
My assumptions are that point chasers will continue to have a significant impact on the market for some time and that wines with 98-100 points from a credible source will continue to sell better and for higher prices.
As I said before, I may be a couple years too early for this topic as it is much easier to examine retrospectively.
Wish there were more emerging, but don’t really see it. I still go back to Mayacamus, Montelena, Forman and Ridge for that style. Frog’s Leap also makes an old school style and their basic bottling is pretty decent.
I do like most of Mike Smith’s wines (Myriad, Quivet et al.), but I’m not sure I’d call them old school. Dialed back from the VA days of Bryant and Harlan, but not in the mold of the 70s and 80s.
I would add Corison and Spottswoode to that list. Both very classically produced, with balance and longevity.
I think Cathy Corisons wine age more gracefully than almost any other Napa Cabs. They are amazing!
I think recently there has been some dialing back in Napa, some producer choice and some just the cards the last few vintages have dealt. Outside of Corison (who isn’t really new)I wouldn’t really consider Galica, Corra or Spottswoode (not a new producer but especially not post 2001 vintage) to be “Old School”, though the vein of female, winemaker and owner is nice.
I disagree with the premise of your statement. I don’t think there is a ‘low alcohol’ movement, or if there is, in no way is this ‘old school’ winemaking. Nor do I think those wines are getting ‘widespread praise’ as a result of low alcohol levels. In essence, it is a myth that alcohol levels represent any kind of old school vs new school.
Well, it depends on what one means by “old school.” There are not too many. If you mean it includes ALL of the following…
“Real” alcohol under 14.5%, not just on the label. (in other words, picks around 23-24.5 brix)
Less than 100% new oak, and more likely 60% or less
Lack (or minimized) cold soak and extended maceration techniques that smooth out wines when young
Less overall extraction
… then I have listed all that came to mind, below. Some mentioned in posts above I have excluded because they either pick at higher brix now, or make wine in the more modern method.
Napa is much, much warmer than where Copain and Rhys get their fruit and thus they are not able to get ripeness at lower alcohol levels much of the time. In Napa, the best chance of doing this are with older, perhaps diseased vineyards, or in places with cooler climates, like Coombsville, although it can still get to 27 brix there sometimes.
The following are well-known…
Togni… may hit 14.2% or so, but other than that, clearly old school
Corison… the poster child
Mayacamas… makes Corsion look like Helen Turley
Montelena… class act
Frog’s Leap… farmers first, winemakers second
Dunn… they must feel vindicated by Galloni
Dominus … getting riper but other than that, old school
Paradigm… Heidi Barrett, fairly old school, out of Oakville
Stags Leap Wine Cellars … starting to get riper (Fay bottling best qualifies)
Cain … totally forgotten, but old school (the Cain 5 is their best)
Clos Du Val … I know winemakers who start checking brix once they pick!
Heitz … riper than before, but still mostly old school.
Sequoia Grove… their Morisoli is a good one. Lots of used oak, to good effect.
EMH Black Cat… popular here on WB, Merrill will resist the old school moniker, but it is, relatively speaking.
and here are three that are less well-known but qualify in spades, and ones that should be checked out…
Farella Vineyard… in Coombsville, Realm makes a sometimes killer bottling off this. Farella’s own wines are often picked at 23-24 brix, a bit lower in alcohol than Realm’s, get half new oak or less, and smell and taste old school to the bone. And best part is that they run $45-75/bottle. Even when they occasionally touch 14.5%, it is a TRUE 14.5% and not 28 brix watered back to 26, fermented to 15.5 and listed at 14.5. You will never, ever find his wines hot. Not only that, he is open for tours he will lead himself and I suspect those looking at this thread would like what they find there. http://www.farella.com/
Dyer… Dawnine makes Meteor, but this is her own (and husband Bill’s) Cab at a fraction of the price, and she has been at it for 20 years. . Once her wines get a decade on them, they are very pre-1990s Left-Bankish. Essentially, this is what Diamond Creek USE to be before they started ripening up. Her vineyard is just 2.3 acres and you will almost never find it outside the valley. Less than 60% new oak, typically picked around 24 brix. Maybe 300 cases made, $80. Here is the link…
Bonny’s Vineyard… this IS the old Silver Oak “Bonny’s” and it is made JUST like it was 20 years ago. 1-day cold soak, fermented at 65-84F, pressed off at 2 brix (no extended mac at all), new American (not French) oak for long-ish 34 months, with minimal racking. Yes, it is all new oak, but there is none to be tasted after it gets all that time to age, and other than that, this is like a time warp to 1985. If you are looking for a light green-streak in your Cabs, this is the runaway winner. Typically 13.5-14.2% real alcohol. $135, which is not cheap, but this has pedigree. Pure 1980s Napa Cab right here. http://www.bonnysvineyard.com/
These are not new ‘old’ school, but I continue to buy and enjoy Ridge Monte Bello, Forman, Spottswoode, Dunn and Montelena. I also think that Karen Culler makes some great Cabs under her own label, as well as Ladera and Wolf Canyon. They are usually balanced, elegant and deceptively age-worthy.
I would put Forman, Spottswoode and Culler’s wines into the “reformed” old school list.
They are the ripe, but not too much, rarely all new oak and not excessive in any way, but really have moved beyond traditional old school, as defined above.
Roy:
I think that is a decent summation. Even assuming an ETOH level is correct, the wine is so much more that that number, just like a wine is more than the ‘points’ given by a critic. I would add to your list, and state that balance is what is most important. The balance between body, extract, tannin, fruit, alcohol, oak is what makes a wine special. TO me a spoofilated wine is one where certain components are jacked up and out of balance with the rest. I have had delicate balanced, nuanced pinots at close to 15% ETOH, and I have had hot, unbalanced, oaky wines where the ETOH reading was in the 13’s. Simply looking at a number or percentage on the label and taking everything from that misses the point IMHO.
Agree. As those who have read my posts here know, I think the alcohol thing is way overdone. Besides, most consumers, even here, do not really know what goes on with alcohol levels. Not all 14% wines are created equal. I am 99% certain that the two things people REALLY dislike are…
alcohol that is noticeable, such as burn
the candied, pruney flavors that come with picking at very high brix, REGARDLESS of final alcohol.
Especially #2. Because those wines get watered back, then the alcohol is spun out, and then they are labeled a full-point below the real ABV, all the 14.5% alcohol wines get swept under the rug together, even though many wines at a real 14.5% are picked at 25 brix, hardly high at all for Napa. The former are what some people dislike and the latter are caught up in the maelstrom. (Note: a lot of people LIKE wines picked at 27-28 brix, so this is not a condemnation, just an explanation.)
Never the less, there are some wineries that use to be old school and still get the praise as such even though they now pick at 26+ brix, do long cold soaks/extended macerations, are 70%+ new oak and all the new-wave stuff. Yet their wines are very balanced, which is what good sites/winemakers do, regardless of alcohol. And yet some of those winemakers who actually pick at lower brix and eshew those techniques are disliked and not allowed in restaurants by “what’s his name” because they actually admit their real alcohol level on the label, which was achieved naturally and has none of the things the “naturalists” seem to be upset about.
To a large degree, the baby is being thrown out with the bathwater.
At the same time, there does seem to be a somewhat growing and more vocal “old school” crowd that really wants lower absolute alcohol, less oak, and a bit of rusticity and more grip in their wines, and I fully respect that. So that is why I have no problem making a list and recommending the wines I did. I suspect that for some time they felt they were alone in the wilderness due to the massive influence of certain critics, but now are feeling that as those critics slowly leave the scene, this is their chance to be heard. Since people like Tom Farella, Dawnine Dyer and Bonny Meyer make the kind of wines I see some people asking for, and since they are all great people, I have no problem recommending their wines for people looking for that style. All three should be looked at closely by those who want it.
Hard to believe no one has mentioned Kapcsandy. Here is a statement on the wine making philosophy from the site:
Kapcsandy Family State Lane Vineyard is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot (often referred to as “Bordeaux” varietals). Stylistically, we have more in common with a top Pauillac in the case of our Cabernet Sauvignon-Grand Vin and Pomerol for our Roberta’s Reserve. We continue to be inspired by many high-quality wines produced around the world.
Maybe not “Old School Napa” but defiantly traditional.
This is meant with no offense to Kapcsandy at all, but with them being the NV winery du jour of this board I think far too many people try to force them into any list possible because they are fans. Great wines, yes. Old World style - about as old world style as Colgin ie, no.
Had some Vineyard 7&8 Estate Cabernet yesterday that harkened to riper vintages of Bordeaux. Much closer to Old School then Kapcsandy.
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