Aromas of blackcurrants, pine needles, cedar, tree bark and fresh dark mushrooms. Some stone and black fruit, too. A very fine-grained wine, complex and refined with energy and focus. It’s elegant with a lasting finish. Hints of nutmeg and other spices at the end, with a touch of incense and sandalwood. Pure cabernet sauvignon from 45-year-old vines, the oldest hillside block at the property. 9,000 bottles made. Try after 2028.
99 points, James Suckling (Feb 2024)
The single-varietal 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate, from a section of the vineyard at 1,200 feet elevation and the oldest vines, is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs plenty of swirling to unlock slowly unfurling scents of blackcurrant jelly, ripe plums, and black cherries followed by hints of tar, licorice, black truffle, and lilacs plus fragrant suggestions of fertile loam and iris bulb. The full-bodied palate is super intense, with beautifully ripe grainy tannins and seamless freshness framing the densely laden black fruits, finishing long and perfumed. A breathtaking expression of the vintage and this beautiful little corner of Napa Valley! 8,000 bottles were made.
99 points, Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Independent (May 2024)
The flagship 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon is all varietal raised in a mix of new and used barrels. Only the second vintage, it's a clear step up over the 2020 and offers a sensational perfume of sweet loamy earth and chalky minerality intermixed with pure crème de cassis, freshly sharpened cedar pencils, Asian spices, and smoky, scorched earth. Full-bodied and flawlessly balanced, it has incredible intensity and depth, ripe, integrated tannins, remarkable purity, and a lively spine of acidity that keeps it light on its feet and vibrant. It has enough concentration and structure to evolve for 30+ years. Give it a couple of hours in a decanter if you are drinking any time soon.
98 points, Jeb Dunnuck (Jan 2025)
This Cabernet Sauvignon relies on 45-year-old vines to deliver depth, a long finish and a refined balance of tannins and fresh acidity. A combination of black fruits, deliciously fresh mixed herbs, pleasing earthy accents and a savory character immediately taste of Napa Valley, while the structure and poise are built to age, and feel reminiscent of classic Bordeaux. This is an exciting new project from the producers of Smith Haut-Lafite worth seeking out. Will continue to develop in cellar.
98 points, Elaine Chukan Brown, Wine Enthusiast (Nov 2024)
Sourced from 45-year-old vines planted at over 365m in elevation, Cathiard Vineyard's 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon comes from the highest point on their Napa Valley property. This incredibly fresh, 100% Cabernet sees 22 months in oak. It offers a sumptuous and seductive nose of rich black currants, walnuts, and a creamy richness imbued with fragrant toasted cedarwood, nuanced by tinges of graphite. Full-bodied, with a deep and concentrated mid-palate of black cherry and blackberry fruits laced with tobacco and wild herbs, the palate presents powerful tannins that feel precision-sculpted, forming long beams that build in intensity through a lengthy finish marked by black liquorice, crème de cassis, dark chocolate, and finally an aromatic lift of bright, wild herbs – a profound expression of Cabernet in a great vintage. My colleague, Georgina Hindle, also sampled this wine in her report 'March releases on the Place de Bordeaux 2024: Report and top-scoring wines", and my tasting with Florence and Daniel Cathiard and winemaker Justine Labbé at their estate Napa Valley estate confirmed much of the same reaction. I'd wager this should be re-tasted in a year or two as I could see it rising a point or two. Points aside, this is a beautiful wine that will deliver loads of pleasure for decades.
97 points, Jonathan Cristaldi, Decanter (Feb 2024)
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