Winemaker Notes
Nestled high on the ridgeline of the Mayacamas mountain range, our Mount Veeder estate is known as a source for wines of rich texture and mouth-filling flavor. Upon first sip, the 2019 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is fruit forward with blackberry, and boysenberry notes intertwined with a bouquet of allspice, cardamom and black tea. On the finish, savory hints of cassis, tobacco and olive surf gracefully on the palate and are rounded out by an inviting bed of rich but supple tannins.
Blend: 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 1% Malbec
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Very expressive, with zesty anise and apple wood mixed with sassafras and sweet bay leaf flavors, all backed by a dense, polished core of blackberry and açaí berry fruit. Features a hint of tar that adds spine and textural contrast to the finish. Big all around, but everything is well-proportioned. Best from 2023 through 2038.
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James Suckling
Blueberries, stewed blackberries, chocolate, espresso, dried herbs and sweet tobacco on the nose. Full-bodied with firm, muscular tannins. Compact and fragrant with a firm finish. Try after 2023.
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Wine Enthusiast
Very ripe, lush, jammy fruit flavors give a lot of pleasure to this full-bodied wine as moderate tannins add good structure to the palate, firming up black cherries, cranberries and blueberries that show excellent depth. Best from 2025–2035.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Hints of sage and bay accent cherry and cassis notes on the nose of Brandlin's 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon. Medium to full-bodied, firm and layered with dusty tannins, it's a classically built mountain Cab that could use a few years in the cellar—or a massive hunk of rare beef.
Rating: 92+
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
Centered at the peak for which it is named, Mount Veeder is Napa’s largest sub-AVA. But even though the entire appellation spreads over 16,000 acres, vineyards cover a mere 1,000. Scattered among Douglas firs and bristlecone pines, Mount Veeder vineyards extend south from the upper elevations of the Mayacamas Mountains—the highest point at 2,400 feet—to the border of the Carneros region. Less than 25 wineries produce wine from Mount Veeder fruit.
Winemaking began early in this appellation. In 1864, Captain Stelham Wing presented the first Mount Veeder wine to the Napa County Fair; it came from today’s Wing Canyon Vineyard. Prohibition, of course, halted winemaking and viticulture wasn’t revitalized until the founding of Mayacamas Vineyards in 1951 and Bernstein Vineyards in 1964.
The Bernstein Vineyards was actually home to the first Petit Verdot in California, planted in 1975. Today most of the Petit Verdot in Napa Valley originates from this vineyard.
Rocky volcanic clay and ancient seabed matter dominate Mount Veeder soils—perfect for Bordeaux varieties. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot enjoy spectacular success. These varieties produce wines rich in brambly blackberry and black cherry fruit with herbal and floral aromatics. Structures are moderate to assertive and wines have great staying power.
Chardonnay from Mount Veeder is lush, full and balanced mineral and fresh citrus flavors.