Blankiet is a very short drive from Yountville. The estate is easily accessible by taking a right just after the Domaine Chandon arched entrance and then following a gravel road for about 1 or 2 miles. The vineyard and winery sit directly west of Dominus as you start to rise into the Mayacamas range. It is a stunning piece of vineyard land with several rolling knolls. When you imagine an idyllic vineyard, this is what comes to mind. As I recall, they have 14 acres planted on a site of around 45 total acres. There is a state of the art winery and caves on site, as well as the Blankiet’s personal residence up the hill.
My wife and I were greeted by owner Claude Blankiet and his nephew Patrick Walters, who is the primary host at Blankiet. As some of you likely know, Claude’s path to becoming a vigneron is very interesting. It is covered in detail in some of the excellent short videos done on Antonio Galloni’s Vinous website. He was born in Burgundy and his career path led him to the textiles business in Texas. One of his products was the pioneering of weathered/acid/stone washed jeans that he sold to companies like Levi Strauss and Gap. His visits to the Bay Area led to his exploration and eventual love for the wines of the Napa Valley. He exited the textiles business in the early to mid 90s when it became clear future manufacturing would be dominated by vendors outside the US.
Claude was actively looking for Napa Valley vineyard land by the mid 90s and was set on trying to find something in the western hills. He was counseled this pursuit was not likely to be successful as any newly available land would likely be scooped up by the neighbors before the land was actively listed. He received a call one day from his realtor that a 24 hour hold had been secured on the land above Dominus. Claude flew out immediately and viewed the property. This was raw undeveloped land, so any assessment on the ability to make fine wines from it was speculative. The cause for confidence was tied mostly to the existence of the Napanook vineyard adjoining the property, but it was on the valley floor and thus likely different soils. Claude took a leap of faith and purchased the land that day and his journey into wine production began.
We spent the first 30 minutes of the visit walking the vineyards with Claude and Patrick. This is a daily activity for Claude, as he is intimately involved in all areas of the winery. We were able to see the diversity of soils, from the clay present in the merlot vineyard just south of the winery to the white stony cabernet vineyards on the knolls above the winery to the north. All ideal for an estate aiming to make a Bordeaux blend from one contiguous site. The farming is organic but not biodynamic. The canopy management has evolved over the years to include more coverage for the clusters to prevent sunburn and allow more hang time if desired. The rows are very much alive and there are lots of box nests for pest predators. There are also some great views of the valley as well!
From there, we moved into the winery. Wow. Pricing for Napa cabernet often gets blasted and rightfully so in many cases. However, when you witness the investment made at a place like Blankiet to relentlessly pursue quality you begin to understand the economics at play. We were shown the stainless steel fermentation tanks they have acquired per the specs preferred by winemaker Dennis Malbec. I’m no expert on winery equipment but they were shaped like an inverted cone and they had several tonnage sizes of each to accommodate various needs. I had not seen these type of tanks before this visit. I may be off base here, but I think the shape helps with managing the cap contact with the juice since they prefer to avoid pump overs. Dennis is looking for a very gentle extraction to manage the tannins. I would say tannin management is the chief goal in the winery, since Claude’s vision is the production of world class Bordeaux blends that will age gracefully but can also be enjoyed without extended aging.
The barrel room is a cave cut into the hillside but it is also climate controlled to maintain constant 55 degrees rather than allow for some natural minor temperature variances. The cave is also equipped with misters to keep the humidity levels near 80+% as I recall. I’m guessing this exists at other places, but it was a first for me and is another example of the huge investment Claude has made in the enterprise. From the winery we made our way up the mountain a bit to the Blankiet home, which is actually a Tuscan inspired castle that took five years to build. The tasting room for guests is located on the first floor.
We sat down and tasted thru all the 2012s - Prince of Hearts Rose (100% Merlot), Prince of Hearts Cab (mostly CS, 2nd label wine), Rive Driote Red (Merlot based with small amount CF), Proprietary Red (roughly 80% CS, 15% Merlot plus some CF and PV) and Mythicus Cab (100% CS).
The Rose was my first one made from Merlot. Not as much acid spine as I generally prefer but it was well crafted and delicious. I suspect it can age for a few years and it should for the $80 tariff.
I thought the Prince of Hearts Cab was very good and a winner in it’s price range ($65-70). Not a big fan of the cherub figure label though 
The aromatics on the Rive Driote (Right Bank in French) were mesmerizing. Elegant, feminine, lovely. A bit tight on the palate today. I’m sure this will be excellent in 3-5 years time.
Proprietary Red was off the charts for me. The 12s in general from Napa seem to be a spherical, delicious and welcoming group of wines. This was all that but taken to a higher level when presented in such an elegant and haunting expression. Just a stunner now but I’m sure time will reveal more complexity. In one sip, you realize this is why they have such a strong commitment to precise details in the vineyard and winery. Pure class.
Mythicus is a new wine (100% Cab) and a variant from the commitment to the merits of blends at this estate. My speculation is the market for high end Napa wines craves pure cabernets and the team here found a block (or more?) that could deliver such a wine in a style they personally appreciate. This wine was poured using a Coravin and not surprisingly was very imposing compared to the previous ones. Too young to fully judge but the house commitment to elegance does show through when the wine is allowed to breathe a bit. This is an utterly full cabernet, but a classy one to be sure. I found this to be the most mineral driven wine of the lineup too which is almost always a plus from my view.
A wonderful visit, sorry for the lengthy notes. Thanks to Fred Daner who recommended the visit thinking I would enjoy the style here. I gained much appreciation for what the Blankiet team is doing. In my mind, these flagship wines are worth the tariff ($135 for Rive Driote to $225 for Mythicus). I can’t imagine anyone else in the area (or the world for that matter) is more committed to crafting world class wines than these folks.