Tasting Report: Everyone Shines with 2012 Napa Reds
As one winemaker told me in Napa Valley a couple of months ago: "We are American, and we sometimes want things in our face, but we have such possibilities of making balanced wines in Napa Valley that are beautiful now yet can also age. As it happens, the 2012 was a perfect vintage for making balanced wines. It's a reflection of the entire Napa Valley."
The 2012 vintage does appear to be a near-perfect vintage, and most producers, even more commercial wineries, made outstanding quality wines. Of course, this is what happens in a superb year anywhere in the world – excellent wines are made across the board. Thus, in the more recent years of 2013 and 2014, a similar level of quality may well prove to be equally ubiquitous throughout Napa Valley. By comparison, 2011 was much more challenging and although some top names made excellent wines, many, even some among the famous names, failed dramatically.
Great vintages are by definition when Mother Nature makes it relatively easy for everyone to make outstanding wines, and 2012 in Napa was unquestionably just that. "Some people say that winemakers didn't try hard enough in 2012, but I am not against an easy vintage!" said Chris Howell, winemaker and general manager of Cain Vineyard & Winery.
Many Napa Valley wine lovers already know this and have invested heavily in 2012 reds, particularly cabernet sauvignon-based wines. I sampled about 350 reds from various producers and appellations in Napa Valley during tastings and winery visits in May, and I was amazed by the quality. Apparently, yields were also high. So the good news is that there are plenty of 2012 Napa reds on the market.
The 2012s tend to show wonderful opulence and purity as well as harmony and balance. Moreover, they are wonderfully attractive to drink young, which is an added value for Napa reds when compared with some other key wine regions in the world. I was especially happy that I didn't find many jammy, high-octane wines in my tastings, which can often compromise cabernet-based reds.
I did a small report on my Top Napa Reds of 2012 a few months ago on the site, and that list has changed very little. However, a few top wines did creep in, namely: Bryant Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley, 99 points; Larkmead Napa Valley The Lark, 98 points; Realm Cellars Napa Valley St. Helena Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard, 98 points; and Schrader Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard LPV, 98 points. I am sure the Bryant Family comes as no surprise along with Schrader, and I was happy these two producers pulled back on the octane drive to these wines in 2012. However, Realm Cellars was a new name for me and I love the tension and beauty to these small-production wines that number only in the hundreds of cases. Larkmead continues to be a favorite producer in Napa, and its wines remains underrated by many.
I included a handful of 2011s in this report to underline the beauty of the three wines of Diamond Creek from this wet vintage and the disappointment of Scarecrow.
Photo 1: Me tasting at a friend's house in Napa. Photo 2: Even big producers made excellent wines in 2012 in Napa Valley. Photo 3: Grace Vineyards made a stunning 2012 cabernet sauvignon. Photo 4: Beautiful vineyards at Bryant Family. Photo 5: Schrader had a number of balanced wines in 2012, compared to past high-octane examples. Photo 6: One of my favorite producers of the Napa 2012 tasting was Realm.
