California Classics

wines

Bright red cherries, cranberry, spices, mint, hard candy and anise all jump from the glass in the 2011 Pinot Noir de Villiers Vineyard. Hints of crushed flowers and tobacco follow, adding lift, inner perfume and a sense of sweetness. The de Villiers is the most open and radiant of these 2011s today, partly because it is the only single-vineyard Pinot in the range made from fully destemmed fruit.Antonio Galloni | 90+ AGTight, with a gritty, earthy edge to the firm strawberry, dark berry, violet, spice and cedar notes, gaining depth and ending with a persistent finish. Should gain with age.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Amazing aromas of blackberries, blueberries, mushrooms and violets. Full body with a dense, precise palate and a firm, intense finish. Masculine but formed and polished. This needs at least four or five years to come even more together.James Suckling | 97 JS(picked on November 1): Red-ruby color, the darkest of these 2011s. Dark berries, coffee and licorice on the nose, with a sexy animal character adding interest. Less sweet than the Lotus but with noteworthy finesse of texture to the flavors of blue fruits, menthol and dark spices. Very pure and laid-back today, finishing with sneaky length. The tannins seem much more successfully integrated with the wine’s fruit than they appeared to be in barrel a year ago. Winemaker Cameron Vawter noted that the 2011s were racked only after the malolactic fermentations and again for the blending.Vinous Media | 93 VMThe 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Hershey Vineyard, which comes from a site on Howell Mountain, is still youthful, with a dense plum color as well as a powerful, masculine nose of blackcurrants, chocolate, graphite, and scorched earth. It stays tight, compact, and structured on the palate, with lots of tannins, and it remains to be seen if there’s enough fruit to handle all the structure. At the end of the day, I think it does. Give bottles another 3-4 years and it should keep for another decade.Jeb Dunnuck | 92 JDThe fruit for the 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Hershey Vineyard was picked on November 2, and it is certainly one of the stars of the vintage, reflecting the success Howell Mountain enjoyed in this vintage. It possesses excellent ripeness along with mulberry, blueberry and black raspberry fruit intermixed with hints of wet rock and graphite. Ripe, lush and medium to full-bodied with sweet tannin, this beauty, because of the precociousness and forward character of the 2011s, is best consumed over the next 10-12 years.Proprietor Hi Sang Lee has resurrected this once historic estate in Rutherford where the winery was first constructed in 1883 by H. W. Helms. There are four cuvees as of 2010, the Crystal Springs Vineyard on Howell Mountain, the Helms Vineyard in Rutherford, the Hershey Vineyard on Howell Mountain and the Lotus Vineyard in Napa Valley. They also produce a wine called Onda, which is meant to be a more forward styled, lower priced effort. Kudos to Hi Sang Lee and his son for resurrecting this historic estate.Robert Parker | 90-92 RPA rich, powerful expression of dense loamy earth, tobacco, black licorice, mineral and dark berry flavors. This never lets up, framed by persistent, gutsy tannins. Drink now through 2022. 304 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

(blended with 7% cabernet franc): Enticing nose melds redcurrant, cherry, anise, milk chocolate and a floral element. Suave, sweet and graceful, showing a lovely sugar/acid balance to the red fruit, mineral and sexy oak flavors. Boasts sneaky flavor intensity and subtle length, finishing with smoother tannins than the Helms. A very successful, refined 2011 cabernet.Vinous Media | 92 VMFairly massive, with deep, rich fruit and ample tannins. The core flavors are centered on currant, plum and blackberry. Cedary oak and crushed rock loaminess are evident on the chewy finish. Best from 2016 through 2025. 308 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Medium garnet colored, the 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Ark Vineyard leaps from the glass with red roses, raspberry leaves and kirsch with a cassis and blackberry core plus hints of anise, Indian spices and florals. The palate is full-bodied with plenty of perfumed fruit and a satiny texture, finishing with incredible energy.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RP

The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Backus Vineyard has closed down quite a bit since it was bottled in January of this year. Lavender, white flowers, blueberry jam and spices are some of the many notes that reluctantly open up over time. Persistent and silky, the 2011 is easy to appreciate today for its overall balance, but it will be some years before all the elements fully come together.Vinous Media | 95+ VMMany consumers may end up preferring the 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Backus Vineyard over the 2010 because the vintage produced such forward, precocious, soft wines. Where well-made, they possess plenty of endearing fruit and charm, but they do not have the tannic clout of great vintages such as 2010. A blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot and 3% Malbec, it came in at 14.2% alcohol, but production is a small 800 cases. The bouquet includes attractive notes of scorched earth, chocolate, espresso roast, red and black currants and hints of underbrush and earth. Full-bodied (unusual for a 2011) with soft tannins and loads of fruit, it should drink well for 10-15 years.All of Joseph Phelps’ Sonoma Coast Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs will be included in the Sonoma report in the December, 2013 issue. One of the visionaries in California’s Rhone Ranger movement that began a quarter of a century ago, Phelps continues to focus on their Syrah program. I have mixed emotions about that because they made some wonderful wines from some other Rhone varietals in the past under the terminated Mistral label. On the www.erobertparker.com website, I will be posting one of the most historical vertical tastings I have ever done, that of Joseph Phelps’ proprietary red Bordeaux blend called Insignia, which was one of California’s first proprietary red Meritage wines launched in 1974. While visiting this winery in early September, I had the privilege of tasting every vintage from 1974 to 2012. This has always been a remarkable wine and sadly I am old enough to remember the 1974, to which I gave a great rating, but then suggested it be drunk within 10-12 years. I never thought it would last. Of course, it turned out to be one of the great mature wines of the vertical tasting, but more on that on the web site. The five vintages of Insignia which consumers should be keeping an eye on are 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. Here are my notes on those wines which are either on the market or soon will be. By the way, the production of Insignia over the last 15-20 years has ranged from a low of 10,000-12,000 cases to a whopping 20,000 cases, often with the highest production levels in some of the greatest years. There are usually around 750 to 1,300 cases of the Cabernet Sauvignon Backus Vineyard. Usually 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, it is fashioned from the red soils of the Oakville hillsides (a spectacular sight as you drive south on the Silverado Trail).Robert Parker | 91-93 RP

Mindlblowing nose with spearmint, cloves and blackberries. Floral, too. Full body with phenomenal detail featuring delicate but intense blackberry, espresso, toasted oak, caramel and dark chocolate. Cedar and sweet tobacco. Finesse all over. The wine of the vintage? Everything is there. Great energy. Best in 2018.James Suckling | 98 JSA vivid, nuanced wine, the 2011 Screaming Eagle is absolutely impeccable. Dark red cherry, plum, smoke and licorice open up in the glass, followed by more savory notes that develop later. The 2011 gets better and better in the glass, as the flavors become even more precise and chiseled. Hints of pencil shavings, leather, cedar and menthol add nuance on the super-expressive finish. This is a stellar showing from Screaming Eagle.Vinous Media | 96 VMMade from a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the 2011 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon is a sexy, upfront, precociously styled wine exhibiting a dense ruby/purple color as well as lots of licorice, camphor, black currant jam, new oak and spice box characteristics. Dense, rich and impressive, the early drinking charm of the 2011 vintage gives it immediate appeal. It should keep for 10-15 years.Under the ownership of Stan Kroenke, this vineyard has been replanted and a new cellar has been constructed. The production of Screaming Eagle has remained between 700-1,000 cases, and a second wine, the Second Flight, includes 520-800 cases. The introduction of a second wine is an attempt to keep Screaming Eagle at its mythical level of quality. This vineyard, situated on the valley floor at the Oakville Crossroads across the road from the Rudd Estate, encompasses 60 acres, but only a small percentage is used for these two cuvees. Based on the three vintages I tasted, it appears the Second Flight wines include much less Cabernet Sauvignon and more Merlot than the flagship Screaming Eagle.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RP