2021 Cabernet Sauvignon

Tasting Notes

With primary aromas of black cherry, crushed stones, grilled meat, and graphite, this is a classic Seavey Cabernet reminiscent of the 1997 and 2013 vintages due to its muscular structure, tremendous density, and refinement of powerful tannin. On the palate, it reveals flavors of baking spices and dark chocolate, finishing with a remarkable weight and lingering impression of cassis. Currently (July 2024) it is closed and took a full day to become expressive, which is common in the best vintages of Seavey Cabernet at this stage of their development.

Ratings

Jeb Dunnuck (Feb. 2024) 97+ points
“All Cabernet Sauvignon from the old vines on the estate, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon reveals a deep ruby/plum hue to go with a classic, old-school-like vibe in its darker cassis, graphite, crushed stone, and freshly sharpened pencil notes. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated, yet beautifully balanced, it has building tannins, gorgeous purity, and a great finish.”

Antonio Galloni, Vinous (Dec. 2023) 97+ points
“The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Seavey Vineyard is fabulous. That’s the good news. But it won’t be ready to drink anytime soon. Dark fruit, herbs, tobacco, incense, licorice, bay leaf and espresso all race out of the glass, framed by potent, incisive tannins that are going to need lots of time to come around. Readers looking for a fine, structured, age-worthy Napa Cabernet will find that here. Yields were down 50% in 2021.”

Vineyard Notes

Seavey’s 31st vintage of single-vineyard estate Cabernet Sauvignon comes exclusively from grapes grown on our steep hillside blocks, which we have now been farming for over forty years. The 2021 growing season followed two years of drought and scant winter rains, so the vines started the season early and with very little natural moisture for growth. The vines woke up early and struggled to grow a full sized canopy resulting in a smaller than usual crop of very small berries, resulting in concentrated flavors. We adapted our farming during the 2021 growing season to respect the grapevines’ capacity by adjusting the smaller leaf canopy to protect clusters of grapes from overexposure to afternoon heat and to ensure we had robust vines at the end of a challenging season. The Cabernet grapes were harvested in September.

Production Notes

Following classic Bordeaux methods, we separately harvest and vinify each vineyard block. In the cool of the early morning, grapes from our 2021 harvest were promptly de-stemmed, and the uncrushed berries were gently transferred into fermentation tanks to carefully manage the tannins and resulting wine texture. Whole-berry fermentation was met with ongoing power shut-offs, leading the cellar crew to continue fermentations using power from our tractor-run generator. Following fermentation, the wine was aged in French oak barrels (65% new) for 20 months before bottling in June 2023.

100% ESTATE GROWN, PRODUCED & BOTTLED, NAPA VALLEY AVA