Smith Madrone Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
(Napa Valley, Spring Mountain, California) - [DM 97] [WRO 97] [JS 94] [WA 93+] [OB 93] [IWR 93]

About the Winery:
Smith-Madrone Vineyards & Winery is situated above Napa Valley on the eastern side of the Mayacamas Mountains in the Spring Mountain District. Stuart Smith and his brother Charles are the proprietors of Smith-Madrone; Stuart founded Smith-Madrone and a year later Charles joined as winemaker. Together, they built the winery using rock and lumber from the property. That was more than 50 years ago. Today they are doing the same thing they have been doing for fifty-plus years — making wine they enjoy drinking.

All wines made entirely from the winery's dry-farmed estate vineyards surrounding the winery on top of Spring Mountain in the Napa Valley. Stuart Smith chose specific slopes with different exposures for specific varietals when planting the vineyards: eastern exposure for Riesling, southern and western exposures across flat stretches for the Cabernet Sauvignon and the coolest north-facing slopes for the Chardonnay. There are numerous historical sights on the ranch, as well as the huge array of natural beauty and wildlife.

Tasting Note: 
The wine opens with a luxurious yummy blue-black/red fruit aroma, which manages to be floral and peppery, bright and lively, fetching and intriguing all at once. On the palate the wine is packed with fruit. While medium weight the wine has a creamy lush mid-palate that is surprisingly full-bodied and mouth filling. Pleasantly grippy at the finish, this wine is built for the long run but as it stands now would be the perfect accompaniment for steak night. Our Spring Mountain pedigree insures deliciously integrated tannins and a long life-span. For fifty years our wines have been sourced from the same vineyards, pruned, cultivated and harvested in the same manner, creating artisanal wines which are distinctive and complex. Our goal is to produce wines which bring pleasure to all the senses.

Technical Notes:

Appellation: Napa Valley

Sub-Appellation: Spring Mountain District

Farming: Non-till, estate-grown, sustainably farmed mountain vineyard

Varietal content : 81.9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17.7% Cabernet Franc, 0.4% Merlot Time in oak: 18 months in 65% new French oak

pH: 3.56 Total acidity: 6.3 g/l

Alcohol: 14.3% Cases produced: 1,652 cases

Winemakers & Winegrowers: Charles Smith, François Bugué, Stuart Smith.

Ratings & Reviews:

97 Points - Decanter Magazine:
"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. (Drink between 2026-2046)" - Jonathan Cristaldi (Oct 2024)

97 Points - Wine Review Online:
"This is a wine that I will leave open on the counter and revisit over the next four to five days, expecting it to continue to open wider and wider on each successive day. Winemaker Charles Smith brings his fifty plus years of experience with Spring Mountain fruit to bear here, and he clearly opts for letting a long haul type of vintage be exactly that. It is classic in every sense, and as it has always been, it is a crazy value. Though you could go in early, I definitely recommend laying this down. If you save birth year wines to celebrate a child’s or grandchild’s achievements twenty plus years up the road, this is just the sort of thing you are looking for. You won’t find another Napa Cabernet of this quality for this price. Contains approximately 18% Cabernet Franc and a dash of Petit Verdot." (Dec 2024)

94 Points - James Suckling:
"A staunch defender of the restrained, elegant style of Napa reds made in the 1970s, yet with a little more body and ripeness than wines from that era. Tasty, tangy black cherries and blackberries with accents of bay leaves, black olives, cedar and star anise. Firm tannins, good acidity and the potential for aging. Drinkable now, but best from 2029." – Jim Gordon (Dec 2024)

93+ Points - Wine Advocate:
"Marked on the nose by subtle herb and floral notes, the cherry-scented 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon is medium to full-bodied in the mouth, framed by firm tannins that promise a long evolution. Thankfully, the tannins are ripe and silky on the finish, where that dusty quality is joined by attractive hints of licorice. It's a classic Spring Mountain Cab, capable of 20 years of cellaring." – Joe Czerwinski (Oct 2024)

93 Points - Owen Bargreen:
"The outstanding 2021 Smith-Madrone Cabernet Sauvignon is a brilliant, well-structured new wine that is built to age. Once on the nose this takes on anise and milk chocolate tones with wet stone, fresh thyme and shades of black currant cordial that all meld in the glass. The palate is refined and poised with a great core of black fruit flavors. Generous and delicious now, watch this evolve over the next fifteen years. Drink 2025-2040 (Jan 2025)

93 Points - International Wine Review:
"Dark red. Spicy bouquet with black raspberry, cassis, tobacco and a touch of cedar. Excellent depth of fresh fruit flavor and firm acidity on a mouth filling palate. Lovely long finish with round tannins. 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Cabernet Franc aged 18 months in 65% new French oak. pH 3.56, 14.3% alc. This is a youthful wine so decanting is recommended; aging a couple of years in cellar is also a good idea." (Dec 2024)