Rich, concentrated Cabernet still thriving in Napa

While we may be seeing a stylistic shift towards elegance in Napa Cabernet, many producers are still making the big, bold, concentrated styles that tend to score big with influential critics in the US.

Christophe Paubert of Stag’s Leap worries a uniformity of Cabernet style has emerged in Napa

Bordeaux born Christophe Paubert, who spent four years as cellar master of Château d’Yquem in Sauternes, and is now the chief winemaker of Stag’s Leap, told db:

“Americans like big, bold, heavy wines. Napa is the quintessence of American wine and overall the quality is very good, but I worry that there is too much of a uniformity of style in the region when it comes to Cabernet.

Shafer’s Cabernets are unashamedly rich and concentrated in style

“Not a lot of winemakers in Napa talk about balance. In America a wine is defined by the winemaker – their stamp is too obvious and you really sense the hand of the winemaker in the wines, but I’m here to serve the fruit.

“I believe that wine should express the uniqueness of the land. I’m not trying to make a Bordeaux in Napa – I’m trying to show the fullness of the fruit you get here.”

Doug Shafer of Shafer Vineyards openly admits that he is pursuing a “rich and concentrated” style of Cabernet at his family estate where he is CEO. After all, bountiful black fruit is what many seek and love about Napa Cabernet.

“My Cabs are rich and concentrated and not shy at all, but I don’t think they’re too ripe – there’s a lot of luscious fruit. My style is to make big, beautiful Cabernets, but I also want them to be elegant and ageworthy,” he told db.

“Napa has come of age on the world stage and the wines are now world class,” he added. Another vintner who is actively seeking a ripe style of Cabernet is Steve Devitt of Darioush, which was founded in 1997 by Iranian born Darioush Khaledi.

“We don’t shy away from ripeness at Darioush, but our wines are a bit more restrained than some others in the Valley, although some folks might not agree with that statement,” Devitt told db during the barrel auction at Inglenook.

“It gets pretty hot in the Napa Valley and, like wines from the Rhône, the warmer climate lends itself to these more generous styles of red.

“But the style of Cabernet being made in Napa has evolved. We’ve figured out how to grow good grapes in the right terroirs for the varieties, how to process the fruit correctly and what ripeness really is,” he added.