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Palladian, Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

California, United States 2012 (750mL)
$65.00
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Fruit
Earth
Body
Tannin
Acid
Alcohol

Palladian, Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

It’s been years since we sold out of Palladian’s 2010 Cabernet, a wine of absolute purity and elegance that caused a die-hard Bordeaux advocate like me to sit back in utter amazement. Perhaps it was this sustained outpouring of love that caused winemaker David Mahaffey to call me out of the blue last month. He was eager to share something, and I was eager to listen, as he explained that he had made the tough decision to release the very last of his 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve from the cellar.
“It’s time,” David said, and after tasting a bottle that he hand-delivered, I couldn’t agree more: At eight years old (over two in barrel and nearly six in bottle), this library release is the epitome of resolutely classic Cabernet Sauvignon. Quite simply, it takes me back to the peak of Napa Valley’s Golden Age in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Today, there are only a cherished handful of producers, of which includes Palladian, that have openly resisted the demand for high-octane, oak-soaked reds. These wineries are passionately run by true-blue farmers that choose elegance over opulence, and their bottles become exquisite collector items as they withstand the test of time in the cellar. So, when I come across a genuinely traditional Napa Cabernet of this profundity, I’m filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude and respect for a winemaker who never once wavered in the face of diversity. Palladian is a micro-project that’s all about preserving the old-school authenticity of Napa Valley. So, let’s make sure we properly thank David for exclusively releasing the last of his 2012 to us. We can part with up to 12 bottles per person.
Mahaffey has been making wine in Napa for more than 30 years; he’s a partner in Palladian and also the winemaker for Olivia Brion Wines, making Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the Wild Horse Valley AVA. He notes that he takes a “Pinot Noir approach” when crafting the Palladian Cabernet, which roughly translates to “gentle fruit handling.” Working with just three acres of vines at Palladian, this is the ultimate in hand-farmed, hand-crafted wine—just 350 cases were produced (about 14 barrels), which could be stored along a single wall in your garage. 

Palladian’s vineyards are around a ten-minute stroll from Meadowood Restaurant at the base of Howell Mountain, just off the Silverado Trail. Off the flat, hot Napa Valley floor, the grapes flourish in a slightly cooler microclimate than much of St. Helena, helping to keep them fresh. The vineyard is planted to 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc, and Mahaffey co-ferments the manually harvested grapes in an open-topped one-ton vat. The open-topped fermenter helps him to shed some excess alcohol during the primary fermentation, and the humid aging cellars at Palladian encourage further evaporation of alcohol during his deliberately long cellaring process. This wine spent over two years in French oak barrels, of which 25% were new, then three years in bottle before release. But today’s small batch was held back, unmoved, for an additional two years!

There’s a difference between power and profundity, and this wine is a great way to understand that difference. When I come across profundity in a Napa Cabernet—by which I mean aromatic complexity, and a sense of soil character to complement the alluringly ripe fruit and judicious use of new French oak—I get excited well beyond what you might expect from such a Bordeaux-centric drinker. Palladian’s 2012 Reserve delivers the utmost purity in the glass: Eight years of integration has brought elegant notes of currant, black cherry, black raspberry, and licorice interlaced with a deeply vibrant core of tobacco, dried herbs, cacao nib, baking spice, used humidor, crushed earth, and a touch of vintage leather. If you want oak and alcohol, look to labels costing 2-5 times more on the valley floor. This is all about harmony and balance, as evidenced by the medium-plus-bodied palate, silky tannins, and a multi-layered finish that reverberates with a pleasing freshness. Palladian’s 2012 exemplifies what serious, “old-school” Napa does best: balanced fruit, savory tension, and longevity. If drinking now, decant for about 30 minutes before serving in Bordeaux stems at 60-65 degrees. However, it’s just now entering its prime drinking window, so don’t be surprised when your remaining bottles are singing in the following decade. Cheers!
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Country
United States
Region
California
Sub-Region
United StatesNapa Valley
Soil
Loam
Farming
Sustainable
Blend
Cabernet Sauvignon 85%, Cabernet Franc 15%
Alcohol
13.7
OAK
New & Used French
TEMP.
60-65
Glassware
Bordeaux Stems
Drinking
Now-2030+
Decanting
30 Minutes
Pairing
Sirloin w/ Brown-Butter Bordelaise

United States

Washington

Columbia Valley

Like many Washington wines, the “Columbia Valley” indication only tells part of the story: Columbia Valley covers a huge swath of Central
Washington, within which are a wide array of smaller AVAs (appellations).

Oregon

Willamette Valley

Oregon’s Willamette Valley has become an elite winegrowing zone in record time. Pioneering vintner David Lett, of The Eyrie Vineyard, planted the first Pinot Noir in the region in 1965, soon to be followed by a cadre of forward-thinking growers who (correctly) saw their wines as America’s answer to French
Burgundies. Today, the Willamette
Valley is indeed compared favorably to Burgundy, Pinot Noir’s spiritual home. And while Pinot Noir accounts for 64% of Oregon’s vineyard plantings, there are cool-climate whites that must not be missed.

California

Santa Barbara

Among the unique features of Santa Barbara County appellations like Ballard Canyon (a sub-zone of the Santa Ynez Valley AVA), is that it has a cool, Pacific-influenced climate juxtaposed with the intense luminosity of a southerly
latitude (the 34th parallel). Ballard Canyon has a more north-south orientation compared to most Santa Barbara AVAs, with soils of sandy
clay/loam and limestone.

California

Paso Robles

Situated at an elevation of 1,600 feet, it is rooted in soils of sandy loam and falls within the Highlands District of the Paso Robles AVA.

New York

North Fork

Wine growers and producers on Long Island’s North Fork have traditionally compared their terroir to that of Bordeaux and have focused on French varieties such as Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

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