Overview of the Wine
We could not have ordered a more ideal growing season for the debut vintage of the Pulido~Walker Mt. Veeder Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. Ample spring rains, mild summer sun, and no major heat spikes allowed fruit to hang for one of the longest stretches in recent memory. 2018 will likely go down as one of those memorable Napa Valley vintages born of an entirely unmemorable growing season.
The Pulido~Walker Mt. Veeder Estate Vineyard is meticulously planted, drawing on several years of data collection prior to putting a single vine or rootstock in the ground. It has been quite the voyage of discovery shepherding this wine from the initial planting of clones 15, 30, 169, and 685 to the release of this inaugural vintage. We decided to harvest by clone and ferment the four wine lots individually. It was unanimous: the lots from clones 15 and 685 were standouts.
Mark Pulido and Donna Walker are immensely gratified that right out of the gate, this Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is every inch the thoroughbred, easily rivaling the wine from its sister vineyard on Pritchard Hill and a welcomed companion.
Grape / Blend
Cabernet Sauvignon
Origin
Napa Valley, California
Winemaker
Thomas Rivers Brown
Winemaker’s Tasting Notes
The 2019 Napa Valley vintage is proving promisingly similar to the vaunted 2016 growing season. Both began with considerable rainfall and saw few weather extremes during a long, mild summer, and were remarkable for being largely unremarkable. Both produced beautifully structured wines.
What resonates for those who experienced this estate’s inaugural 2018 vintage is the depth of flavor in this uniquely complete wine—a testament to years of meticulous planning and thoughtful clonal selection and planting.
99 Points – Jeb Dunnuck
A bigger, richer, more structured wine, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder Estate Vineyard has brilliant black fruits, tobacco, iron, and subtle smoke-like nuances in a full-bodied, concentrated, layered package. This is pure Mountain Cabernet genius, and while it’s far from unapproachable today, it will benefit from 3-5 years of bottle age. It’s up with the crème de la crème of the vintage and should be snatched up by readers.
Product size: 750ml
