Winemaker Notes
The first documented planting of grapes on Spring Mountain has been attributed to Charles Lemme who planted La Perla Vineyard in 1874. Because of an unusual combination of topography and a mix of both sedimentary soils and volcanic soils the geography of Spring Mountain boasts many small springs throughout the mountainside, thus giving the appellation its name. The mixture of soils and sustained moderate temperatures produced a 2021 vintage that unfurls with rose petal, cassis, dark cherry, pain de grille, and a fine minerality.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
The Lokoya Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon is primarily sourced from their estate-owned 10ha Yverdon vineyard at 640m and the 18ha Wurtele vineyard at around 304m. The soils are mostly ocean-bottom sedimentary. What strikes you immediately is the minerality and earthiness in the bouquet, which is super expressive of gravely and loamy soils and with bright and focused black cherry and blueberry fruit notes. A stealthy dose of brisk and firm mineral-laced mountain tannins sneaks up, framed by intensely perfumed rose petal notes and underscored by refreshing blood orange acidity. You can't believe the freshness until it presents in juicy waves through an extended, full-bodied finish. Chris Carpenter makes the Lokoya wines, and the label is owned by the Jackson Family. Four 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wines are in the portfolio, each from a different mountain: Diamond Mountain, Howell Mountain, Spring Mountain, and Mt. Veeder. The winemaking is the same for all the wines, with mostly native yeast fermentation, pump-overs by hand, malolactic fermentation in barrel, and ageing for 22 months in 90% new French oak. What separates these wines is not style but place. Carpenter believes that fine Napa Valley Cabernet wines are not only defined by the soils of their sites but also by the Bay Area Pacific breezes that roll in and out daily, cooling the valley from the south to the north in the evenings and from the north to the south in the mornings. These mountains define cooling as any place in the valley. The diurnal temperature shifts at higher elevations create an equilibrium where climatic fluctuations aren't as pronounced as fruit grown below the fog lines.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
My favorite of the 2021s from Lokoya is the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain. It boasts complex floral and herbal notes of violets, bay leaf and sage that add wonderful nuance to the wine's ripe cherry and cassis fruit. It's full-bodied yet silky and elegant, a thrilling contrast with what you might expect from a "mountain" wine. It's still concentrated and tannic, with a lingering, dusty finish and plenty of aging potential.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain District is another incredible effort, revealing a dense purple hue and a kaleidoscope-like array of cassis, violets, spring flowers, and tobacco leaf, as well as full-bodied richness and ripe, velvety tannins. It has perfectly integrated oak, tannins, and acidity, flawless balance, and the class to benefit from 4-5 years in the cellar and evolve for 25-30 years.
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James Suckling
This is a bigger and broader Spring Mountain cab with terra-cotta, dust and dry earth aromas suggesting its warmer nature. Medium to full body with thoughtful, cut-velvet tannins and a lovely texture at the end.
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Wine Spectator
This is gorgeous from the get-go, with the distilled essence of mulberry, boysenberry and blackberry fruit pouring through, all harnessed by a racy iron note and flecked liberally with anise, sweet bay leaf and iris accents. The finish shows terrific cut and drive as the fruit sails through. Dense for sure, but with purity, freshness and energy. Best from 2026 through 2046.
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.
Above the town of St. Helena on the eastern slopes of the Mayacamas Mountains sits the Spring Mountain District.
A dynamic region, its vineyards, cut by numerous springs and streams, vary in elevation, slope and aspect. Soils differ throughout with over 20 distinct types inside of the 8,600 acres that define the appellation. Within that area, only about 1,000 are planted to vineyards. Predominantly farmed by small, independent producers, the region currently has just over 30 wineries.
During the growing season, late afternoon Pacific Ocean breezes reach the Spring Mountain vineyards, which sit at between 400 and 1,200 feet. Daytime temperatures during mid summer and early fall remain slightly cooler than those of the valley floor.
Spring Mountain soils—volcanic matter and sedimentary rock—create intense but balanced reds with lush and delicate tannins. The area excels with Bordeaux varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot and in some cooler spots, Chardonnay.