We will be in the same boat as many of those on mailing lists. The wholesalers will base their allocations of the 2012 vintage on how much 2011 the retailers buy. I’ve heard, but can’t confirm that one or more winery may not release a 2011 “Cab” and instead blend it and sell it under another label or sell it bulk.
But, don’t be fooled by the “2011 Vintage” that was panned. There were several areas (micro climes) in Napa and Sonoma that did have sufficient warm weather and enough hang time to produce a small amount of very good fruit. It will be a crap shoot for good to very good wines, according to “WS and WA professionals,” but don’t be surprised if the anti fruit group discovers the wines are right in their wheel house.
I can say without any doubt that I’ll be buying 2011 Napa Cab. And for me, a big consideration in any off vintage is to continue purchasing from reliable producers but be more selective with taking chances on those I have less familiarity with.
I tasted BS of Myrida Dr Crane and the Kapcsandy line up and will be buying both. They were outstanding and Mike and Lou were pretty proud of the wines they produced. Best sample of Crane I’ve tasted. That being said i will be very selective as I have too much Cab as it is and will be buying some 2010 and wil be buying plenty of 2012.
There’s also a lot of wine out there on retail shelves from prior vintages so adding or catching wines you may have missed outside of the top cults is not too hard.
I’ll also be more selective (due to my increasing old age), but I will take s much Myriad and Quivet as Mike will let me have.
We also barrel sampled the 2011 Myriad Dr Crane in August… it was excellent.
I’d like to buy select 2010’s, skip 2011, and wait for 2012. Of course, I’m buying nothing but sparklers for a while (as we go through them like bottled water)
Winemakers, please talk about 2011 vs. 2012. My understanding is the 2012 sorting table was a walk in the park, given the uniformity of the quality fruit. So you ended up with huge yields. How much can a strict selection in a tougher vintage like 2011 allow one to make (less of) great wine?
Earnest question: might 2011 be a decent or even good vintage if you are someone who prefers leaner styles of Napa cab? Might it be a vintage that ages better than some of the very ripe vintages?
I find myself enjoying better 2000s and 1998s these days – they seem more complex and classically structured than some of the really big vintages, and I’m finding them getting into a pretty good drinking spot these days.
I have not tasted any 2011’s yet but this is exactly what I am hoping will be the case. I seem to remember Roy posting early thoughts on the 2011’s on here but did not search for the thread. Probably sheds more light on how the vintage may turn out.
The impression I got from some industry insiders who prefer classically ripe wine is that it’s a spectacular vintage that easily out-classes '98 & '00. The problem they saw was with producers who want/need to make big jammy wines - some did stupid things to fight nature’s blessing. From some comments above, it sounds like producers who were more concerned with making the best wine possible than marketing achieved great results.
I saw this thread just last night - I have not been on the Board much for the last couple of weeks. But there are some interesting points being made, and as I am generally fairly vocal on this Board, I did not want anyone to intuit anything from my silence. Not sure if anyone actually missed me and wondered , but anyway, here goes: I have a beautiful 2011 in barrel - one that is consistent with the line of Cabernet I have been producing in small quantities since the year 2000. People who know my wines know that I produce what I and many others would consider a classically styled Cabernet. My vineyard is one little hot site in Calistoga, and I am often about the first to pick Cabernet each year in Napa Valley. It’s just my style: what I like to produce, what I like to drink, and what my buyers have come to expect.
The 2011 EMH Black Cat was harvested on October 3, which is the latest I have ever picked. (Much to Roy Piper’s horror, I actually harvested my 2007 on August 30 that year). I pick when I believe the flavors are there, and that the fruit coming off the vine will produce the best wine possible that vintage. In 2011 I saw sugar accumulation stalling, flavors bouncing up and down, sunlight hours on the wane, and rain storms on the horizon. I had a crew at the ready that I trusted, some lovely earlier vintages picked in the 23-24 Brix range (sorry, Counselor Holdredge), and then a series of days where the flavors were consistent and impressive. I went for it.
The 2011 EMH Black Cat has an ABV of just 13.7%. It has received new French oak treatment of just under 30% new. I have as much in barrel as I had in 2009, as I lost not a single berry to the 2 rainstorms that devastated some vineyards. No heroics were required during harvest or in the winemaking process - we proceeded just as we always do. What we did was not a departure from other vintages in any way, and I do not expect the finished wine to be a departure, either.
Could I survive a year in business if everyone decided to pass on the 2011 and wait for my 2012? Absolutely not! Could any small business - or any business survive with only expenses and no income? Probably not. And the wine business is one where the expenses of harvest and barrels and winemaking are realized long before that vintage produces any income. It’s the nature of the business.
If anyone is around the Washington DC area Saturday April 27th, I’ll be pouring both my 2011 “regular” and my 2011 Special Selection at Bassin’s MacArthur Beverages Annual California Barrel Tasting. Come by, taste, say hello, and see for yourself.
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, but anyway, here goes: I have a beautiful 2011 in barrel - one that is consistent with the line of Cabernet I have been producing in small quantities since the year 2000. People who know my wines know that I produce what I and many others would consider a classically styled Cabernet. My vineyard is one little hot site in Calistoga, and I am often about the first to pick Cabernet each year in Napa Valley. It’s just my style: what I like to produce, what I like to drink, and what my buyers have come to expect.