|
|
B-21 Top Recommendation
Read More
"Readers seeking Napa Cabernets from the 2021 vintage with serious cellaring potential should consider stocking up on Smith Madrone's offerings, as these '21s are true cellar-worthy gems." - Jonathan Cristaldi, Decanter
Stu and Charlie Smith have been quietly making some of the most classic, old-school Napa Cabs on the market since 1972. Perched high up on their rural property atop Spring Mountain, the brothers have largely avoided the glitz & glamour rat race that is the modern Napa wine scene. Instead, they stick to the fundamentals, beginning with their 15-hectare, prized Cabernet Sauvignon block planted in 1971. Indeed, James Suckling calls Smith-Madrone "a staunch defender of the restrained, elegant style of Napa reds made in the 1970s."
The 2021 vintage was tailor-made for the classicists, an outstanding campaign of ideal conditions, and the wines have proven themselves to be modern benchmarks. The 2021 Smith-Madrone Estate Cabernet is a knockout with a pair of 97-point reviews leading an impressive critical line. "A Cabernet that exemplifies how the variety became so popular: classic, structural, aromatic, and finessed. "A Cabernet that exemplifies how the variety became so popular: classic, structural, aromatic, and finessed. An impossible find for the price." That about sums it up from Wine Enthusiast. In a category that is becoming prohibitively expensive for many wine lovers, the 2021 Smith-Madrone takes us back to Napa's golden years, not in terms of style, but in terms of value as well. |
|
|
A Cabernet that exemplifies how the variety became so popular: classic, structural, aromatic, and finessed. An impossible find for the price, enjoy now for palate cleansing structure, or continue to age for deeper pleasure.
97 points, Elaine Chukan Brown, Wine Enthusiast (May 2025)
From brothers Stu and Charlie Smith comes their 2021 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon from Spring Mountain, a precise blend of 81.9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17.7% Cabernet Franc, and 0.4% Petit Verdot. Aged for 18 months in 65% new French oak, with only 1,652 cases produced, this wine showcases the meticulous dry farming of their 15.4-hectare vineyard at a 579-metre elevation, with vines dating back to 1971. The 2021 vintage is yet another testament to their mastery, offering a purity and elegance that define these Cabernets, with impeccable structure for long-term cellaring. In 2021, the tannins are firm, soaring, built like sky-scrapers, yet remarkably well-integrated. The nose offers a beautiful black cherry and red currant potpourri, mingling with pressed wildflowers, sage, capsicum, and tobacco leaf. Juicy plum fruit intertwines with a graphite minerality, and while there’s notable density to the fruit, a fine backbone of crunchy acidity imparts a stunning lightness and lift. Readers seeking Napa Cabernets from the 2021 vintage with serious cellaring potential should consider stocking up on Smith Madrone's offerings, as these '21s are true cellar-worthy gems.
97 points, Jonathan Cristaldi, Decanter (Oct 2024)
Top Quality Store
