Of the 80-plus wineries that purchase fruit from Napa’s legendary Stagecoach Vineyard, about 30 include the vineyard designation on their label. Of those 30, only one was involved in planting the vineyard itself: Llamas Family Wines.
Today’s 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon is not just Napa history in a bottle but a spectacular mountain Cabernet entering its peak drinking window; it is densely concentrated yet vibrant and perfectly balanced after nine years of aging. Stagecoach is the largest contiguous vineyard in the Napa Valley—600 acres of vines high up on Atlas Peak, hard-won from rocky volcanic terroir studded with boulders—and no one is better equipped to channel its greatness than the Llamas family: They helped plant the vineyard for Dr. Jan Krupp and each generation since has been involved in the management and cultivation of its vines. The red, volcanic soils are part of their DNA. It stands to reason that things should come full circle and some of those legendary grapes end up in a Llamas Family Wines bottling, and what they’ve done with them in today’s 2010 is nothing short of extraordinary. We were all blown away by the refinement and grace of this wine, which to me is reminiscent of some of Napa Valley’s benchmarks from a generation ago. After encountering this wine and its maker, Alex Castillo Llamas, at a dinner in Napa recently, we eagerly arranged today’s showcase on SommSelect. This is a true ‘homegrown talent’ that needs to be more widely known!
Alejandro Castillo Llamas used to hate picking grapes. To be fair, he was only nine. While other kids played soccer or did their homework, Alex was often helping his family members in the vineyards, fields, and orchards where they picked Concord grapes, pears, olives, and cherries. Every year, the Llamas family would travel from Guadalajara, Mexico all the way up to Portland, Oregon and back. When his grandfather landed a full-time job in Napa, the rhythms of migrant labor were replaced with the dependable ebb and flow of wine harvests. His entire family became involved in the industry. Of course, Alex helped pick grapes but he also remembers “babysitting” for Jan Krupp’s youngest son (the snacks were really good). Alex’s uncle Esteban worked full time for the Krupps, and the legend of the Llamas work ethic meant more and more of his family was hired to help maintain the sprawling 1,400-acre property stretching from the edge of Pritchard Hill overlooking Oakville to the westernmost reaches of Atlas Peak.
Once Alex graduated from high school, his main prerogative was saving up a little money to see the world. He worked as a busboy in Napa’s Mustards Grill before graduating to The French Laundry and even moving to New York as part of the opening team at Per Se. It’s impossible to work in restaurants of that caliber without falling in love with wine, so it stood to reason that Alex moved back to Napa to try his hand in an industry he’d initially tried to avoid. In 2008, he poured his first wine for his uncle Oscar at a family party. It was so good, the two struck up a deal on the spot and became business partners to create Llamas Family Wines, founded in 2009.
Oscar Llamas and his wife, Lola, put the “Family” in Llamas Family Wines. Oscar is famously entrepreneurial, and provided the capital, energy, and connections necessary to get the label up and running. Meanwhile, Lola’s family has been farming in the Napa Valley for 40 years. She was born and raised in Saint Helena and recently obtained her MBA in Wine Business from Sonoma State. It’s there that she met Trini Amador IV, who, in a twist of fate, was appointed General Manager of the Stagecoach Vineyard after Gallo purchased it from Jan Krupp in 2017. Llamas Family is now one of the smaller wineries that continues to purchase fruit from Stagecoach with vines that are still tended by many extended Llamas family members. Ranging in elevation from 1,100-1,750 feet, Stagecoach is mostly south-facing, and while there are 16 different varieties planted across 204 individual blocks, Cabernet Sauvignon is the focus.
Today’s 2010 is entering maturity seamlessly, with loads of energy and earthy savor lending it a decidedly ‘Old World’ feel. The 2010 vintage was cool and wet, so Alex and his team waited on tenterhooks for the perfect moment to pick their fruit (September 15th). Cabernet from some of Stagecoach’s best blocks was hand-sorted to separate any imperfect berries before a long, slow fermentation. Alex identifies as a ‘minimal-intervention’ winemaker, partially inspired by his close relationship with Matt Taylor (of Araujo fame). Both men believe in making wines that are alive, capturing a precise moment in time and not clouding it with heavy-handed technique. Matt consulted with Oscar and Alex on this vintage, and the final product is indubitably Llamas as a result—a collaborative effort that speaks to the uniqueness of this vineyard. The wine was aged for 18 months in 60% new French oak and gently filtered before bottling.
The wine is a dark, ruby red with a dusty rose rim. It’s dense and luminous all at once, opaque at the center. The aromas are a little shy at first; I recommend a good hour of decanting and service in big Bordeaux stems to coax out those delicate, multifaceted notes of bitter cocoa and rich red earth. I could smell this forever; plum skins and crushed black cherries. There are no telltale hints of alcohol. Instead, the tingle in your nose is from the slightest whiff of spicy chaparral. The palate is fresh, floral, and earthy—totally different than some of the beefier Stagecoach Cabernets that depend on weight over structure. These are some of the prettiest tannins I’ve ever experienced from Napa. They gently collect on your palate and dissipate in the next moment as your mouth starts to water from bright natural acidity. Flavors feature redder fruit: more cherries, iron, and a lingering note of wet stone and woodsmoke. It’s a timeless and seamless expression of Cabernet Sauvignon with the potential for further aging—to its 20th birthday and beyond, I’d say, which is mightily impressive at this price. Drink it now or in 10 years, but make sure you’ve got some food for the complete experience. Why not stay true to the Mexican heritage of this wine and go off the beaten path with
mole negro enchiladas? Dial back the heat so the dish doesn’t compete with the wine; the generously flavored sauce will coax out the many complexities this wine has to share. It’s a must-try for lovers of Old School Napa Cabernet!
