It was almost exactly a month ago that the SommSelect team wound our way up Lokoya Road to Mayacamas Vineyards for a tour and tasting with our pal Jimmy Hayes, the ex-French Laundry sommelier who is now the estate director at this historic Napa Valley property.
We were treated to some spectacular vineyard vistas from their perch atop Mount Veeder, capping off the visit with a tasting of their yet-to-be-released 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon—the first vintage produced under Mayacamas’ new ownership and new production team, which includes not just Hayes but acclaimed winemaker Andy Erickson (Screaming Eagle; Harlan Estate) and viticulturist Phil Coturri. We were blown away by the classic, cellar-worthy styling of the 2013 and excitedly arranged to be one of the first retailers to offer the wine. Then, just five days later, wildfires in Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino quickly ravaged huge swaths of wine country, including one historic building at Mayacamas, and we spent several weeks in limbo as the fires came perilously close to our homes (Ian lives in Browns Valley, at the base of Mount Veeder) and our Sonoma warehouse. We were, in the end, among the lucky ones, as was Mayacamas, which, while suffering damage, emerged with its winery and vineyards intact. What follows is our offer of the Mayacamas Vineyards 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, which is not only an essential Californian collectible but a ‘boutique’ Cabernet that remains extremely well-priced. All proceeds from today’s sale will be donated to napasonomarelief.org, and we encourage you to read on to learn more about a new chapter at one of California’s greatest wine estates. — Thanks from Ian, Brandon & The Entire SommSelect Team
Mayacamas Vineyards dates to the late-1880s, when John Henry Fischer purchased land near the top of Mount Veeder and built the stone winery that still stands today. The modern era at the property was defined by Bob and Elinor Travers, who purchased it in 1968 and expanded both its facilities and vineyard plantings. The 1971 vintage of Mayacamas Cabernet was among the Californians featured in the “Judgement of Paris” tasting in 1976, and the estate’s wine remained models of classical styling through the years—including the ’90s and 2000s, which saw the explosion in popularity of more super-charged, ultra-ripe styles of Napa Cabernet. Travers’ long ownership tenure ended in 2013, when Mayacamas was acquired by a group that included the Schottenstein family, owners of American Eagle Outfitters and other retail chains. More recently, the Schottensteins took 100% ownership of Mayacamas, retaining a team that has spent the last four years replanting vineyards (while converting them to organic farming) and upgrading the historic winemaking facilities.
As noted above, that team—winemakers Andy Erickson and Braiden Albrecht, viticulturist Phil Coturri, estate director Jimmy Hayes, and hospitality director Artie Johnson—was gearing up for the release of this 2013, their first group effort, as the wildfires lit up the Napa Valley and devastated vineyards, woodlands, and thousands of homes and other structures. Many local vintners were still in the middle of harvest when the fires hit, or in the initial stages of fermentation, and there were many stories of winemakers donning respirators and working by flashlight to monitor their ferments and keep the vintage alive. Jimmy and team were prevented from accessing Mayacamas for a few nervous days, but were eventually able to get up there and get back to work—tending to their 2017 wines without power or water while surveying the smoldering wreckage of a tasting room building that burned (and, sadly, housed some of the winery’s private wine collection).
As we saw firsthand during our fatefully timed visit, the Mayacamas property is vast, spanning nearly 500 acres, but only about 50 of those are planted to vines—vineyards which range in altitude from 1,800 to 2,400 feet on the slopes of the ancient volcano that is Mount Veeder. Soils here are a rocky mix of ash, sedimentary rock, lava, and even some marine sediments, and this poor soil, combined with the cool microclimate afforded by the site’s elevation, has for decades birthed one of the most structured, linear, perfumed Cabernet Sauvignons in the Napa Valley. As with many mountain-grown Cabernets, Mayacamas’ always has a slight wildness to it—a rustic, stony edge to its tannic structure—combined with intense concentration and pitch-perfect Cabernet Sauvignon aromatics. It is, without a doubt, one of Napa’s “first growths” and a wine capable of aging for decades with ease.
As the Mayacamas team notes in their own technical specifications for this 2013, “grapes are harvested early to retain bright acidity and firm tannins”—not something you hear from many Napa Cabernet producers in this ultra-ripe, ultra-extracted age. Fermentations at Mayacamas are carried out in a mix of old, open-topped wooden fermenters, concrete vats, and stainless steel, followed by 32 months’ aging in a mix of large, neutral oak foudre and smaller barriques. The wine spent another year aging in bottle, and here we are today—with one of the more timeless-feeling Napa wines you’ll ever taste.
The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon is comprised of 100% mountain-grown Cabernet Sauvignon, and if you want to conduct a deep and detailed study of the varietal character of this grape, this is the wine for you. In the glass it’s a deep, nearly opaque ruby with garnet reflections at the rim, with a perfumed nose of black plum, blackberry, cassis, licorice, graphite, dried herbs, cocoa, and tobacco. It is full-bodied, but in an upright, firm-backboned way—this is not a syrupy style but rather a focused, tightly wound wine that will reveal new layers only with time. Right now, it shows a quite perfumed side that reminded us of some of the great “Left Bank” Bordeaux of Pauillac and Margaux, with the mix of sweet and savory that is often missing from California Cabernets. If you are inclined to open a bottle now, decant it at least one hour before serving it in large Bordeaux stems at 60-65 degrees. Be sure, however, to lay a few bottles down and earmark them for some special occasions many years down the line (child’s high school or college graduation? big anniversary?). You can be confident that it will deliver the perfect combination of power and balance. Pair it with a beautiful steak or some herb-y, garlic-y lamb chops as in the attached recipe. This is the pinnacle of California Cabernet. Don’t miss it!
