Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder 2015

Mayacamas is one of Napa’s most celebrated and historic estates. Its stone winery, constructed in 1889 in the mountainous Mount Veeder appellation, remains in use to this day. And since the 1950s, though ownership has changed several times, little has changed about the winemaking. Winemaker Braiden Albrecht and consulting winemaker Andy Erickson utilize traditional techniques to yield a classic Cabernet style, implementing a combination of cement, open-top foudres and stainless-steel fermentors before aging the Cabernet 32 months in neutral oak (20 months in large foudres and 12 in barriques). The result: a compact wine built on savory charcoal, bay leaf, tar and juniper notes.

Tasting Note

Youthfully compact, with tightly wound black currant, bitter plum and dark blueberry notes, this needs time to meld with the charcoal, bay leaf and tar streaks, but the mouthwatering cut on the finish suggests that won’t be a problem. Offers a long echo of juniper at the end. Best from 2023 through 2040.—James Molesworth