Winemaker Notes
Philip Togni Vineyard Cabernet is a very ageworthy Margaux-type blend of mainly Cabernet Sauvignon, with Merlot, Cabernet franc and Petit Verdot. Each year we hold back a portion of the newly-bottled wine to re-release when it is ten, twenty and thirty years old.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Tasted with Lisa and Philip Togni in their winery atop Spring Mountain in February of 2024. An absolutely riveting Cabernet showing a deep ruby-purple colour. Gorgeously fragrant at the cork's pull with terrific violets and loads of black currants and dark dried herbs. Medium to full-bodied with chiselled, precise tannins that build and build on the palate. At this early stage, the wine is full of ripe blackberry and black currant fruits that harbour impressive clarity of flavours, growing even more expressive with beautiful sagebrush nuances. Philipp Togni remarked that this vintage reminds him of St. Julien. Indeed, it is incredibly aromatic, elegant, and structured, and it is also a complete and seamless wine. 82% Cabernet Sauvignon is joined by 15% Merlot, 2% Cabernet France, and 1% Petit Verdot.
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Vinous
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is an outrageously beautiful wine and also one of the wines of the year. A soaring, exotic bouquet makes a strong opening statement. Pliant and creamy, with mind-blowing textural finesse, the 2021 dazzles from start to finish. Hard candy, mint, lavender, Kirsch and spice linger on the close. The 2021 possesses mind-blowing purity and exceptional finesse.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Possibly the best wine produced here since the terrific 2001 or 1991, Togni's 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate comes across as rather cool and fresh, with gentle grace notes of mountain sage lending nuance to the predominantly red-berried fruit, tinged with cassis, mint and cedar. It's medium to full-bodied, concentrated and firm, with silky tannins and refreshing acids providing ample structure and amplifying the lingering, elegant finish. Rating: 98+
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Wine Spectator
Densely packed and reserved in style, offering a tightly coiled core of red and black currant fruit wrapped in a sheath of iron and backed by savory, menthol, rose petal and iris notes. The seriously grippy finish shows taut but fine-grained tannins working in unison alongside fresh acidity. This will need considerable time to unfurl, rewarding those with patience and a love of this mountain-hewn, old-school style.
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.