Wine Reviews

From the winery’s estate vineyard on Howell Mountain, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Dancing Bear Ranch is a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, all aged 22 months in 59% new French oak. Scents of mocha, tree bark, black cherries, raspberries and cherries mark the nose, while the medium to full-bodied palate is supple, lush and long, with ample concentration and some nicely ripe, softly dusty tannins on the lingering finish.

Cakebread’s 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Benchland Select blends five clones from two different vineyards to yield bold scents of black cherries, cassis and mocha but also some redder berries. It’s medium to full-bodied, edging just past 14% alcohol while still seeming generous and silky in feel, finishing long and harmonious, with a dusting of fine-grained tannins.

All barrel-fermented and then aged 15 months in a mix of puncheons and barrels, the 2021 Chardonnay Reserve comes entirely from estate vineyards in Carneros. Scents of vanilla, peppery spice, orange and pineapple appear on the nose, while the medium to full-bodied palate is plump, rounded and easy to enjoy, with an attractive bit of citrus on the finish to keep things lively and clean.

Cakebread’s 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Suscol Springs offers up scents of cherries and raspberries, framed by oaky, cedary notes. It’s medium to full-bodied, seemingly a bit less concentrated and more supple than the winery’s other named Cabernets, but it still firms up nicely on the finish. Drink it anytime over the next decade or so

The 2021 Sassicaia is one of the best young Sassicaias I can remember tasting, certainly on par with anything in recent memory. The preference here is picking on the earlier side relative to many neighboring properties, which is one of the reasons Sassicaia is always a wine of refinement more than opulence. At the same time, Sassicaia can be light. Not in 2021. All the elements came together during a long growing season to produce a rich, deep wine that marries textural intensity with classicism. Dark cherry/plum fruit, spice, new leather, menthol, licorice and spice all race across the palate. Time in the glass brings out the wine’s textural intensity and sheer power. The 2021 is one of the most concentrated Sassicaias on record. That allowed for long macerations, as long as 20 days for some Cabernets. Aging was 25 months in French oak barrels (95% French, 5% a mix of Hungarian and Slavonian wood), 40% new, 40% once-used barrels and 20% in twice-used barrels. One of the recent developments here is some bâtonnage in aging, which is used to build texture. That approach worked well in 2021. In a word: magnificent.