Smith-Madrone, Spring Mountain District – Napa Valley (California) Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 ($65)

This is a wine that I will leave open on the counter and revisit over the next four to five days, expecting it to continue to open wider and wider on each successive day. Winemaker Charles Smith brings his fifty plus years of experience with Spring Mountain fruit to bear here, and he clearly opts for letting a long haul type of vintage be exactly that. It is classic in every sense, and as it has always been, it is a crazy value. Though you could go in early, I definitely recommend laying this down. If you save birth year wines to celebrate a child’s or grandchild’s achievements twenty plus years up the road, this is just the sort of thing you are looking for. You won’t find another Napa Cabernet of this quality for this price. Contains approximately 18% Cabernet Franc and a dash of Petit Verdot.
97 Rich Cook