Winemaker Notes
Grown on the slopes of Mount Veeder, this is Malbec operating at a high level. Minerality intelligently accents the mouth-filling juiciness of ripe blueberry and spiced rhubarb-cherry pie, while soft tannins create an elegant, generous frame.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Black berry with grapey highlights. The purity of fruit is so impressive. Almost a sense of chalkiness. Full and flavorful. A great mountain malbec. 223 cases produced. Drink after 2026.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2021 Malbec Mount Veeder comes from two sites and relatively old vines (1994 and 2007 plantings). Ripe blue fruits, iron, tons of spice, and a certain exotic quality define this beauty, which is medium to full-bodied, nicely concentrated, and balanced. I'd give it just a few years and enjoy over the following decade.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
One of the better pure Malbecs I've had from Napa, Mt. Brave's 2021 Malbec Mt. Veeder takes the variety's tutti-frutti mixed berry and cherry fruit and adds notions of dried herbs and something that winemaker Chris Carpenter calls rhubarb. It's full-bodied and supple, shows a slight hollow in the mid-palate but expands nicely on the finish, adding notions of a more savory character.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.