Close Menu
News

Exceptional new Napa Cabernets land in the UK

A pair of exceptional new Napa Cabernets have landed in the UK following the launch of the inaugural vintage from Kinsman Eades in the US.

Having agreed to work with UK importer Pol Roger Portfolio, the two first wines from Kinsman Eades are now available in Britain for the first time, and hail from the 2016 vintage.

The wines are already sold out in the US following extremely high ratings from key commentators, although small quantities had been made – fewer than 200 cases for both the wines.

Kinsman Eades is the maiden wine project of Shae and Nigel Kinsman having decided to start their own business in 2016 using grapes from two particular plots in the Napa Valley.

Aussie born winemaker Nigel Kinsman has produced wine at great properties in Australia (Petaluma, Cullen Wines, Mount Langi Ghiran), before moving to Tuscany (Tolaini Estate), and then to Napa – where he was winemaker at Araujo Estate.

In 2016, according to Shae, the pair “dumped our house deposit” into the launch of their own label, using Cabernet grapes from two particular vineyard plots, one in Napa’s Diamond Mountain District, and another in Yountville.

“We didn’t start off with a fortune from a career in hi-tech,” she added, “So we had to to rely on relationships and our knowledge of the industry; we had to find amazing sites, sites with a track record that was not necessarily well known.”

In my view, although both wines are outstanding, notable among the pair of inaugural releases is the Diamond Mountain expression.

Hailing from a terraced vineyard planted in 1990 on decomposed volcanic ash next to the Diamond Creek Vineyard, Nigel described this particular plot, located at 800ft above sea level, as “the healthiest 30 year-old vineyard in Napa Valley”.

Planted primarily with Cabernet Sauvignon, but also Cabernet Franc and Malbec, Nigel has co-fermented the grapes to produce a Cabernet-dominant blend of outstanding quality.

He said of the site, “I first worked with the vineyard in 2015 and decided right away that this was the vineyard I wanted to work with [for the launch of his own project].”

He added, “This is the best source of Cabernet Franc I’ve seen in the Napa Valley.”

Because this particular site was previously being used solely in the production of Reverie Wines, it is therefore known as the ‘Former Reverie Vineyard’.

As part of the Kinsman Eades operation, the grapes are now being used to produce a wine called Rhadamanthus – an ancient king whose name is derived from the Greek ‘adamas’ – meaning ‘invincible and untamed’ – and therefore has much in common with this Diamond Mountain Cabernet, according to Nigel. 

Having been fortunate enough to taste from one of the few samples made available in the UK, I can confirm that this is remarkable new gem of a wine from Napa, with layers of concentrated bramble fruit, creamy chocolate, a touch of warmth and a fine, dry, tannic grip, along with a cherry stone note on the finish, which provides a sense of bright refreshment after all the ripe berry intensity and sweet oak in this youthful red.

Nigel’s other label is Anjea, also from the 2016 vineyard, which hails from a valley-floor vineyard in Yountville called Sleeping Lady.

Planted with Cabernet Sauvignon in 1998 on gravely soils, it is influenced by the fogs and breezes from San Pablo Bay, and his first release from the plot is made entirely with Clone 22 Cabernet Sauvignon, which gives plenty of firm tannins – a trait Nigel likes.

Having worked with grapes from this vineyard since 2013, Nigel stressed that it was a brilliant vineyard, but also key to its quality was the management.

“This is an incredible site and these are some of the best farmers in Napa Valley; it’s not enough to have a great patch of dirt, you have to be a great farmer and one who will work with the winemaking team,” he said.

As for Nigel’s winemaking approach, he said, “I truly try to do as little as possible… I can only influence the quality by maybe 3-5%, although obviously a lot the other way if I mess up.”

Continuing he said, “It’s really classic winemaking, nothing I didn’t do at Mount Langi or Cullen… just a very careful, slow cluster sort, no pumping, and from then on, just classic winemaking.”

Read more

POL ROGER ADDS NAPA’S TOR AND KINSMAN EADES TO PORTFOLIO

The wines: key facts

2016 Kinsman Eades Cabernet Sauvignon ‘Rhadamanthus’

Source: Former Reverie Vineyard, Diamond Mountain District, Napa Valley
Harvest date: 10 October, 2016
Blend: 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Cabernet Franc, 4% Malbec, co-fermented
Oak regime: Sylvain, Taransaud, Orion, 75% new, 22 months
Production: 50 cases
Price (retail in the UK): £275

2016 Kinsman Eades Cabernet Sauvignon ‘Anjea’

Source: Sleeping Lady Vineyard, Yountville, Napa Valley
Harvest date: 7 October, 2016
Blend: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon (indigenous yeast fermentation)
Oak regime: Sylvain, Taransaud, Orion, 60% new, 22 months
Production: 125 cases
Price (retail in the UK): £225

It looks like you're in Asia, would you like to be redirected to the Drinks Business Asia edition?

Yes, take me to the Asia edition No