Winemaker Notes
Planted on rocky soils with minimal water retention, these Cabernet Franc vines produce wine of incredible concentration. Aromas of blue fruit and rose petal captivate while notes of herbs de Provence and wet stone grace the palate for a supple and structured finish. The 2017 truly reflects Mt. Veeder's rugged sense of place.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A beautiful red with black-cherry and blueberry aromas and flavors. Medium to full body and creamy tannins. Lovely balance and sensual mouth feel. Succulent finish. Drink now.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Deep purple-black colored, the 2017 Cabernet Franc Mt. Veeder reveals expressive black fruits with a tarry, broody undercurrent, featuring baked plums, blueberries and blackberries with notions of chargrill, violets and tilled black soil. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a lot of energy, with loads of freshness and finely grained, ripe tannins, finishing on a perfumed note.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Lots of forest floor, truffle, and chocolaty dark fruits emerge from the 2017 Cabernet Franc, a more focused, tannic, backward wine that’s going to benefit from bottle age. It should have 15 years or more of prime drinking.
Rating: 92+
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Wine Enthusiast
A light, elegant approach is taken to this mountain wine, robustly seasoned in sage, dried herb and clove. Herbaceous throughout, it represents the variety, vintage and provenance well, showing balanced, bright underlying acidity that softens the inherent power.
Cabernet Franc, a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon, is the subtler and more delicate of the Cabernets. Today Cabernet Franc produces outstanding single varietal wines across the wine-producing world. Somm Secret—One of California's best-kept secrets is the Happy Canyon appellation of Santa Barbara. Here Cabernet Franc shines as a single varietal wine or in blends, expressing sumptuous fruit, savory aromas and polished tannins.
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.