The small vineyard and winery behind today’s impressive aged Cabernet is a window into “old” Napa Valley—it’s neither a Californian take on a ‘château’ nor a newly minted “cult” label in a bottle that weighs thirty pounds. It’s instead the product of a small family farm whose modest house on a hill is depicted on its label.
We love ‘heritage’ wines like this—not just because of their homespun authenticity but because they’re vivid reminders that great wines are grown, not ‘made.’ During a recent visit with second-generation proprietor Samantha Mueller, we were thrilled to be offered this perfectly stored 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon from her family’s rather deep library. Wines like this are true treasures—time capsules, really—and not every winery, large or small, invests in such an archive. If you’ve subscribed to SommSelect for a while, you’ve by now gathered what our preferred style of Napa Cabernet is: namely, one that’s as soil-driven as it is fruit-forward. This one fit the bill perfectly, evoking memories of Napa classics like Heitz, Mayacamas, and Stag’s Leap. In the mood for some perfectly aged, perfectly stored wine to drink tonight? Here’s a mature—and still-maturing—one to jump on!
McKenzie-Mueller was created by husband-wife duo Bob Mueller and Karen McKenzie, who produced their first wines in 1990. The 50-acre property is in the Los Carneros region, on the “Napa side,” and has remained resolutely small-scale, producing roughly 2,500 cases of wine in total per year. Both Bob and Karen grew up in the Napa Valley, and Bob, a UC Davis grad, was the director of enology at Robert Mondavi before the couple purchased their first property in 1979. More recently, Samantha Mueller took over as Director of Operations more recently and still lives on the property—this is an old-school family of vignerons, still doing everything by hand and taking their products to market themselves.
Cabernet Sauvignon is McKenzie-Mueller’s “flagship” wine, and while they typically incorporate small percentages of Cab Franc, Merlot and Malbec (they also, notably, make a ‘varietal’ bottling of Malbec), Cabernet Sauvignon represents 98% of the 2001. The Muellers source from two estate vineyards—the 36-acre ‘home’ site in Los Carneros and an 8-acre plot in the Oak Knoll AVA. Both locations are relatively cool by Napa Valley standards, given their proximity to the San Pablo Bay, though the soils vary: Los Carneros has more clay mixed with loam while Oak Knoll is more classically “alluvial,” with gravel, sand, and silt. The 2001 was harvested in early October and was aged in 40% new French oak barrels.
This is a powerful and still-youthful Napa Cabernet that has taken on an appealing savor with 15+ years of bottle age. In the glass it’s dark garnet red with amber and brick-orange highlights at the rim. The aromas are textbook for a well-made Napa Cabernet with extended aging: preserved blackberry and cassis cede the floor to earth-driven notes of graphite, vintage leather, dried tobacco, mushroom powder, sandalwood, cacao nibs, and exotic spice. It is dense and palate-coating, but also remarkably lifted and fresh—its balanced acidity is critical to the wine’s success, enabling it to carry its substantial alcohol with ease. While it is a deep and soulful pleasure to enjoy now—either decant it for sediment just before serving or pull the cork 15 minutes ahead and pour slowly and carefully—it still has more gas in its tank. It is peaking now and will continue to offer great drinking through its 20th birthday. Serve it slightly cool at 60-65 degrees in large Bordeaux stems and maybe go outside the box with a venison loin as an accompaniment. There’s a lot of woodsy savor and heady richness to enjoy here. Cheers!
