The Mayacamas Vineyard, founded in 1889 and perched high above Napa Valley on top of Mount Veeder, is one of the more historic and storied vineyards in Napa Valley.
The winemaker, Braiden Albrecht, employs traditional winemaking methods to produce a classic Cabernet Sauvignon, fermented in a combination of cement, open top foudres, and stainless steel fermentors before aging the wine for 32 months in neutral oak (a combination of large foudres and barriques). 2014 was a great vintage in Napa Valley – it was a drought year and very warm, which yielded great sugar (brix) levels at the perfect phenolic ripeness.
The 2014 Mayacamas Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon is big and bold. On the nose you get some dark cherry and plum notes, along with with nice floral and mint aromatics, The dark fruits continue through to the palate, with loads of blackberry, black currants and dark cherry notes. There is a slight black pepper note as well.
Mountain AVAs usually have really firm tannins, which provide a dry, tactile (think sandpaper) sensation in your mouth. They usually take years to soften. However, the tannins are silky smooth with the 2014 vintage. Tannins are great for long aging wines, which this wine will no doubt benefit from – however, this wine is very drinkable right now.
