2011 Nine Suns - USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena (12/19/2022)
My first experience with Nine Suns. Decanted for sediment 90 minutes prior to tasting. Saturated ruby color. I get fig compote, toasted oak, and wet earth on the nose, along with a touch of heat. Pronounced dark red fruit presence in the mouth. I really like the profile here, powerful but restrained.
I’d love to hear a bit more about this wine if anyone has info such as makeup of the blend, vineyard site, oak treatment, etc. I emailed Realm and can update if/when I hear back.
Blend – 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Malbec, 3% Petit Verdot.
Oak – 100% New French Oak.
Vineyard – 100% from the Houyi Vineyard (Pritchard Hill).
WineProfile – Juicy and vibrant with good acidity and the vineyard’s signature of aromatic violets. Slight toastiness on the finish. The wine is still youthful; it has held on and aged well. A hint of herbal notes typical of the 2011 vintage.
RealmContext – Winemaker Sam Kaplan’s first vintage with this site. 2011 was a difficult vintage in Napa Valley, panned by some critics, but it was also very site dependent. Consensus was this is a beautiful, delicate, and soulful wine.
did a visit and tasting with Jason a few years back, and at that time he indicated that 2011 was not being offered for sale, but he thought it might turn out to be one of the better ones from the vintage
Back when I was doing tastings for a living I tried to show how a bad vintage impacted a wine but it backfired. Everyone love the wine and it was the 2007 St. Innocent White Rose Pinot Noir which to this day is my favorite Oregon Pinot Noir.