Last year I tried and bought Mayacamas 2013 Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon. It simply knocked my socks off.
I’ve had terrific highly-rated wine, but this was the most graceful flavor bomb I had ever experienced. I’ve had some other wines that were nearly as powerful but they were more single note and not anywhere near as juicy or complex. Some Petite Syrahs have gotten close.
Any thoughts on similar wineries or bottles?
Edit: It need not be Napa! Aware this is an atypical offering, and I’m open minded to suggestions.
I have similiar impression when I had year ago bottle of Bryant Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 " It simply knocked my socks off"
A rare combination of elegance with opulence.
I could also mention pristine bottle of Newton Unfiltered Merlot 1991 I have a few years ago, this is in the same league as above.
Since I occasionally like fruit bombs from Napa, thought I’d share several favorites. Note that these are more restrained and balanced vs things like Caymus IMO (besides being much better made).
Maybach, have only had 1 bottle, but thought outstanding. Fairly full throttle vs other TRB stuff I’ve had. Would generally put Schrader in the same basket but liked the Maybach more and Schrader is more expensive.
-Bevan single vineyard is pretty full throttle and is excellent. I generally like a couple years of age though these are meant to be drunk young
-La Jota. The older stuff is classic, the newer stuff is more modern for sure. Either way I really like all Chris Carpenter wines as they are really well balanced despite having a lot of power. Cardinale is great as well, though i tend to like it in leaner vintages and it’s above the Mayacamas price point. Same with Lokoya.
-Bond. Big, opulent and well balanced. That said is pretty expensive as it’s in the Harlan family. Not sure it’s a better wine vs Bevan, which is much cheaper.
I didn’t love Realm bard when I tried it, but maybe just needs a few years in bottle. I really like RM, and Myriad, but while fairly modern wouldn’t quite call them fruit bomby compared to the above.
Bryan - I believe I’ve had that particular Mayacamas when we visited Napa last fall (including other library wines). These certainly taste of California, but stylistically they’re still more the exception than the rule in the region. I too find that when I’ve had some heralded Napa wines, that they’re too uniform and “monochromatic”. In my mind these often lacking distinctiveness and complexity due to excessively long hangtimes and heavy sorting. That’s not a critique of Napa’s capability, just stylistic choices happening in the vineyards and cellars.
Some examples in Napa might be Dunn on Howell Mountain and another could potentially be White Rock Vineyards. Another might be Continuum, although these are quite pricey. But I would actually encourage you to explore Bordeaux - perhaps starting with St. Estephe and Pauillac. That’s especially true now that they’ve had a string of good vintages and quality overall is quite high even among Cru Bourgeois estates (like a 2014 Capbern I had recently).
There are some nuances with respect to that particular bottle of wine that makes is different from the cab savs you might typically find on the Napa Valley floor, or elsewhere in Napa. 1) Mount Veeder fruit 2) Hillside vineyard 3) neutral oak aging in barrel and larger formats.
Mount Veeder wines generally have a pretty robust fruit ‘punch’. Vineyards that are on hillsides have an inherent intensity of fruit flavor and smell (I favor hillside fruit). The manor of aging that Mayacamas is NOT typical for Napa. It’s more ‘old world’, and they build their wines to cellar for decades. Add all that up, and you will start to build your blueprint for wines you enjoy. Look for those types of characteristics (although it may be hard to find in Napa).
A couple comes to mind you MIGHT enjoy, but they all have a heavier oak program, so maybe not…
O’Shaughnessy - Mount Veeder Cab Sav
Y Rousseau - Cabernet Sauvignon Le Roi Soleil
Mount Veeder Winery - Reserve Cab Sav
Not mount Veeder, but similar: Jericho Canyon Vineyard - Cab Sav
Love Saxum but never tried James Berry vineyard. I will keep an eye out.
Bang on for me. That’s why after consistent “not as great as I hoped” tastings of Napa Cab (for my taste preferences, admittedly), I was thrilled. I also visited them in the Fall, and did a tasting. 2016 was quite great as well.
I love these big fruit forward and extracted styles when they also are reigned in and balanced well.
Harlan does it best IMO but you can get the style for less at Bond and namely with the Matriarch second label. There is also The Mascot third label but I have yet to try it but it would be the best value.
Bevan is supposed to offer ‘huge’ wines but the wines just did not click for me.
I felt Outpost with their 2018 did a great job balancing power and finesse although these wines aren’t anywhere near ready but I couldn’t help myself.
Mollydooker will do the trick if you’re looking for something outside Napa for a better price. The enchanted path is worth trying in that style, fruit bomb for sure.
Nobody does big fruit forward cab better than Napa but those who do it well come with big bucks attached.
