2015 Vintage Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Tasting

Critics have done the wine industry a lot of good overall.
Robert Mondavi

Cabernet Sauvignon is the most popular red wine in the world today and when it comes to immediate gratification wines this varietal it is hard to beat.  Most people know about Napa Valley's Cabernet Sauvignon and although it only accounts for around 3-5% of the total production in terms of volume it is probably closer to 40-50% of all the total volume in terms of dollars.   And tonight, we are going to show you the money wines from one of the top vintages over the last decade with 2015 vintage being the subject of study this evening.

The Cabernet Sauvignon grape is a relatively new invention in the world of grape varietals, it is the result of the combination of a white varietal Sauvignon Blanc and a red grape Cabernet Franc crossed by some mad grape scientist in southwest France in the 17th century.  Because of its thick skin and relative ease of cultivation this varietal has spread around the world and makes high quality full bodied red wines in many parts of the wine world.

Napa Valley has experienced several outstanding vintages in a row with 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 with 2020 breaking the streak only because of the fires.   Tonight we have some of the top wines from the 2015 vintage and a few ringers to see if you can tell the money wines from the up and coming new stars of Napa Valley.  We will be hosting this tasting blind so the price tag on some of the wines doesn’t influence what your favorite wine is this evening.

This 2015 vintage is an outstanding one for Napa and these wines are still young but for scientific purposes we are popping some of the top wines from this vintage to see how they are drinking at this early stage in their life.  The fee for this tasting which includes dinner is $325 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.

2015 Vintage Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Tasting
Thursday, May 27, 2021
7:30 PM

2015 Cardinale Cabernet Sauvignon Napa
2015 Dalla Valle Cabernet Sauvignon Napa
2015 Keplinger Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Napa
2015 Lokoya Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain
2015 Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard
2015 Ramey Cabernet Sauvignon Annum Napa
2015 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon To Kalon Reserve Oakville Napa
2015 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select
2015 Staglin Salus Cabernet Sauvignon Napa
2015 Shadowbox Grigsby Cabernet Sauvignon Napa

Menu
Cheese and Charcuterie
Arugula Salad with Hazelnut Crusted Goat Cheese Caramelized Onion and Dark Cherry Balsamic
Crispy Sweet Breads with Plum Sauce
Braised Beef Short Rib Empanadas with Mole Sauce
Bao Buns Stuffed with Asian Spiced Lamb Ragout

The fee for this tasting which includes dinner is $325 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com

A bit about the 2015 Vintage in Napa from the Wine Spectator:
“Across the Northern Hemisphere, winemakers in many regions are reporting one of the earlier grape harvests they've seen. They scrambled to pick fruit and find tank space, but now they are enjoying tasting the results and getting an idea of what nature provided. Wine Spectator will be providing snapshot looks at harvest in major wine regions, providing an early preview of what wine drinkers can expect.

Up next, California's Napa Valley, where drought conditions and poor weather during fruit set led to a lot of uneven grape bunches and very low yields. For the most part, vintners report their wines should be very good to outstanding. But quality is variable.

The Good News: Napa vintners report a harvest without any problems, capping off a growing season that produced clean, healthy grapes. They also believe they have made some high-quality wines, though not at the level of their 2013s or even 2014s.

The Bad News: A year marked by drought produced a very small crop; there was also some uneven ripening as sugars outpaced flavor development.

Promising Grapes: Some potentially great Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Syrah and Zinfandel, but quality and yields varied considerably from vineyard to vineyard.

Picking Started: Harvest began in very early August, and wineries were even bringing in Cabernet Sauvignon before the month ended. Picking ended in October.

Analysis: After three years of plentiful harvests, California's water shortage finally caught up with Napa Valley's vines. "The vines are really showing the effects of our fourth year of drought," said Corra winemaker Celia Welch. "They look tired. After three banner years in terms of both high yield and high quality, since April we knew we were looking at a much smaller crop."

Everyone knew yields would be down in 2015. Drought years do that. But the lack of water wasn't the only factor that put a crimp in Napa Valley's harvest this year. Cold weather during flowering led to poor fruit set, leading to small, uneven grape clusters. Vintners are telling Wine Spectator that yields in some locations are 50 to 90 percent less than average. But they also report that the fruit that did ripen was outstanding.

Ripening was helped by a warm summer with almost no rain. Picking began in early August in some areas. Most of the valley was finished by late October. "After more than 30 vintages in Napa Valley I still haven't seen two that are alike and 2015 didn't disappoint in that way," observed Elias Fernandez of Shafer Vineyards. "We started picking a couple of days earlier than last year, but four separate heat spikes fueled a very compact three-week harvest. Ripeness was hitting its peak in a lot of vineyard blocks very close together.

"The good part about having less fruit than in the last couple of vintages is that we weren't in a mad scramble for tank space. Because of the drought, berries were smaller and just packed with color and flavor. What I'm seeing so far in Stags Leap Cabernet is good quality, dark color and the potential for some great structured, extracted wines."

The heat did pose a few more challenges. The early-season warm temperatures pushed sugar levels in some grapes well ahead of the maturation of the skins and tannins, where the flavor lies. And Craig Williams, a consultant who works with wineries throughout Napa and Sonoma, said that the heat during September caused more raisining and higher sugars, requiring more sorting than usual to prevent stuck fermentations. "What I've tasted from tank is very good; and along the lines of 2014 rather than the powerful 2013," he said.

Early, small, but very good seems to be what vintners are hoping their tired vines produced.”  www.winespectator.com